Saudi Arabia: Sex harassment penalty irreversible
Offender liable to jailing, fine even if victim renounces right
Cairo: A legal punishment against sex harassment is irreversible in Saudi Arabia even if the victim renounced own right or did not file a legal complaint, a state rights watchdog has said.
In 2018, Saudi Arabia approved a law criminalising sexual harassment, making the act punishable by up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of SR300,000.
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The Saudi Human Rights Commission (HRC) has said that in the crime of harassment, the victim’s renunciation of own right or failure to file a complaint does not deny the competent agencies the right to take the legal action they deem necessary to serve common good.
The panel has defined harassment as every verbal expression, deed or motion carrying sexual insinuation made by a person towards another referring to the body and honour or harming modesty in any way including modern technology methods.
According to the Saudi law, harassment carries punishment of three years in prison and a fine of SR100,000 or one of both penalties.
But if the victim is a child, a person with special needs or has been subjected to the act while sleeping or unconscious, the crime is punishable by up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of SR300,000 or one of both penalties.
The HRC has urged state and private sector institutions to put in place a mechanism to receive complaints of alleged harassment, verify them and hand down administrative punishment to offenders.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has sought to fight sex offences and boost women’s rights as part of drastic reforms in the kingdom championed by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.