Cairo: Education authorities in Saudi Arabia have announced strict measures against students implicated in harassment in schools during the new academic year.
Outlined in a code of conduct set by the Education Ministry, the disciplinary procedures start with the transfer of the offender to another school and deducting at least 15 marks from his/her conduct marks, reported Saudi newspaper Al Yaum.
If the act of harassment involves the use of technological means such as non-permitted filming, the clips or pictures are removed by a school committee in the presence of the parent to ensure the deletion of any content deemed harmful to the victim.
In case the offence requires security intervention, the competent security agency would be summoned to the school, the report noted.
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The measures aim to combat undesirable patterns of behaviour and provide a safe education environment for students. The new school year began in Saudi Arabia on August 18.
Saudi Arabia has recently started naming arrested harassers to shame them as part of deterrent measures.
In April, a Saudi court handed down a five-year jail sentence to an expatriate after he was convicted of harassing a woman, prosecutors said.
Women's rights
The convict, whose nationality was not given, was also ordered to pay a fine of SR150,000.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has sought to fight harassment offences and boost women’s rights as part of drastic reforms in the kingdom.
Under Saudi law, sexual harassment is punishable by up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of SR100,000 or one of both acts. Penalties are toughened to up to five years in prison and a fine of SR300,000 in case of repetition or when the act is committed in public.
Saudi authorities have said legal punishment against sex harassment is irreversible even if the victim renounced own right, or did not file a legal complaint.
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.
