JEDDAH – A video showing a Saudi child in school uniform being molested by a man has gone viral on the Internet and caused public outrage on social media. The 47-second video showed a schoolgirl standing in front of an elevator with the molester standing right behind her and checking around to see if anyone was around. He then turns to the girl, lifts up her dress and starts touching her. The incident, which took place in Dammam, was recorded on the building's security camera. According to police reports, the molester is a Saudi man in his 20s and appeared to have behavioral disorders and a criminal record. Ziad Alriqaiti, police chief in the Eastern Province, said authorities were able to identify the man and arrested him on Thursday. The video was circulated on social media and among WhatsApp users before it was taken down on YouTube. A hashtag #GuySexuallyHarassesALittleGirl was created on Twitter as people expressed their anger and others started giving advice on the matter. With the lack of sexual harassment laws in the Kingdom, it would not be clear yet what would happen to the molester, especially as police said he has psychological disorders. One man said: “It is very important for parents to teach their kids the concept of harassment and not to allow anyone to touch their private parts, even a relative, and importantly how to react against it.” “Many psychologists said if you noticed that your son or daughter is sensitive to touching, then it means they were exposed to harassment,” another man tweeted. Others started raising awareness on the matter by posting cartoons from an awareness book to educate children on sexual harassment. The book, entitled “Don't Touch Me”, shows examples in a simple language with attached drawings to illustrate appropriate and inappropriate behaviors from adults. The book was released in 2009 to help raise awareness on child abuse and help children better understand what could be considered sexually abusive behavior from an adult. Another hashtag was created called #Don'tTouchMe where people were commenting on the same incident. Hind Khalifa, who made the book, is a lecturer at King Abdulaziz University's faculty of education and a psychology major. She has been working for 13 years in the educational field, where she started tackling child abuse issues in an attempt to raise awareness among parents. She said the book was successful and it is expected to reach different areas of the Kingdom as well as Qatar and United Arab Emirates. In a TV interview on Rotana Khalijiah, Khalifa said 37 percent of sexual abuse cases involve family members and that Saudi families do nothing about such offences if they happen within their homes.
