teasers outside girls' colleges and school gates passing indecent remarks, ogling shopkeepers and honking taxi drivers, to delusional boy groups who think it is “cool” to stalk girls in malls, joyriders chasing cars with women, looking for a chance to slip in a mobile number or Bluetooth users who let their device do all the talking, all these incidents speak of a worrying problem: the rise of eve-teasing as a social phenomenon in the Kingdom. The problem is all pervasive -- adolescent boys and even grey-haired uncles don't seem to spare women who are ironically covered from head to toe, making it impossible to even tell their age. What exactly is the pay-off that these miscreants get from their acts? According to some self confessed eve-teasers, they derive a sense of ‘self-satisfaction', resulting probably from a patriarchal mindset. “It's about the macho image,” says 25-year-old Fahad Jamal, a Saudi management graduate. “If I am out with a group of friends we like to show-off to each other. It's fun to tease girls who throw a lot of attitude and enjoy the attention. But I can't risk teasing them when I am not with my friends, as there is always a fear of getting beaten up,” Jamal added. A sociological profile of eve-teasers shows diverse age groups: around 32 percent of them are students, 35 percent are anti-socials while the remaining 33 percent are middle-aged men. The ubiquitous malls across the Kingdom provide eve-teasers with a convenient venue as well as ample opportunities to ‘prey' on female sensibilities. “We go to malls to window shop, and, of course, to spot some cool girls, but isn't that human nature?” asks 22-year-old Imtiyaz Khan, an Indian in Jeddah. “This shouldn't count as eve-teasing, since I feel it is okay if we do it within “limits” and at a certain age, beyond which it becomes vulgar and makes one look desperate,” he said. For Khan and his friends, it's all about showing their ‘guts' to each other by teasing girls. He said girls are much bolder and frank now, making it more difficult to pick on them. “You can also fall on your back doing so. In fact, eve-teasing is passé and it's almost like ‘Adam-teasing' now. It's no longer a one-sided scenario,” he quipped. Khan said he doesn't feel guilty as picking on girls is only for ‘casual fun'. Eve-teasing, which is non-violent and doesn't include physical harassment, doesn't have any stringent laws for its perpetrators in the Kingdom. However, last year it was reported that to deal with the problem, Dr Saleh Bin Humaid, president of the 150-member Shoura Council, had urged the committee for social, family and youth affairs to prepare a law seeking to prevent sexual harassment and molestation of women in the workplace as quickly as possible. In 2006, the UAE adopted new laws to eradicate the phenomenon, which included stiff penalties to the extent of a fine of Dh60,000 and one year imprisonment for those who repeat the crime. The new law was welcomed by all women in the country. Interestingly, the paradox lies in the fact that Saudi Arabia is a society where culture takes its roots from Islam, and women here are duly covered, leaving no excuse for those who say that women invite trouble by being provocatively dressed -- which may be true in other parts of the world. The irony is that the meticulous segregation of the genders has not had any impact on the incidents of eve-teasing and harassment of women. “Isolation of men and women in Saudi society is a problem. For instance, the various malls here prohibit single men or boys from entering without a family. This encourages them to take girlfriends with them and exhibit bad behavior. People like to do anything that is forbidden. To avenge their dignity on not being allowed more social space, young boys may take to eve-teasing and other such unwarranted conduct,” said Dr. Mohammad Al-Hamid, consultant psychiatrist at the Dr. Mohammad Center for Psychology and Behavioral Treatment in Jeddah. Calling the behavior ‘instinctual', he said adolescents show high energy and potential which needs to be channelized in a resourceful manner. A dearth of sports clubs, recreational areas and organized activities for single men, has resulted in them seeking enjoyment through different means, including by making passes at members of the other sex. “Football maybe the only wholesome activity available here, but there are not many places to practice the sport. Habitual eve-teasing may extend even after marriage, when the man is unable to control himself from harassing other women even while he is with his wife. So it is important for parents to practically teach their sons good behavior and not by just verbally discussing it, and incorporate Islamic rulings,” Dr. Hamid said. Islam forbids the intermixing of a man and a woman in private (a concept called Khulwa, which in the Islamic interpretation might lead to temptation) and not in public places as in a shopping mall, he added. Muneer A., an expatriate who runs a tailoring shop and is a part-time taxi driver, believes that women are to be blamed for attracting unwarranted attention. “Shopkeepers and drivers only want to earn their livelihood and cannot afford to behave badly with their female clients,” he said, when asked about common complaints against taxi drivers and shopkeepers of giving undue attention to female passengers and customers. He said women should not look at men and should talk to them in a matter-of-fact tone if they don't want to encourage eve-teasers. “I have seen some girls intentionally keeping their bags open in shopping complexes so that men passing by can drop a chit with their number in her bag,” he claimed. Dr. Hamid said that some girls may exacerbate the problem by exhibiting attention-seeking behavior and may dress seductively, which are indications of the Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD). HPD is a personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive emotionality, attention-seeking and a flirtatious nature, and an excessive need for approval and inappropriate seductiveness, usually beginning in early adulthood. A member from the Commission of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the group responsible for moral policing in the Kingdom, said that to catch eve-teasers and others showing unethical behavior, the Commission's officials patrol assigned locations like malls on weekends as well as weekdays, and tour public places only at prayer times. To report an act of eve-teasing, the official said, “The victim must immediately call the police on 999 or inform the Commission officials if they are around. If we nab him, we investigate the matter, prepare a report and send him to the police station.” He said the Commission officials are assigned locations and that they do not come when called on the phone. Some malls employ a female security squad, especially to look into issues concerning women. Serafi Mega Mall in Jeddah has a six-member all-female security team patrolling the place at all times. “We need such a team to deal with incidents which involve women, like men following women, a scuffle between them, or to investigate complaints filed by women, as in our society, we cannot talk face to face with females,” said Mohammad Zaid Al-Yafei, deputy manager of the mall. He said that usually when youth are involved in such acts, they are left after a warning, and are not handed over to the police. But they may face repercussions if found repeating the behavior. However, many such cases are not reported by women even to their family members, let alone to the police. A common reason which keeps most women from complaining is the risk of incurring a social stigma and fear that doing so may result in further enmity, which can prove to be dangerous. Most women are of the opinion that they have to equip themselves to handle the situation efficiently. Women must be encouraged to retaliate against eve-teasers fearlessly. “Learning the art of self-defense instills confidence in a woman when she moves out, as she knows she can handle possibly dangerous situations and can feel secure,” said Dr. Ashraf Ali, president of Budokan Star Karate Club in Riyadh, which has branches in Riyadh and Jeddah. He said many young girls are enrolling for courses in martial arts, kick boxing etc. The club has approached schools for introducing Karate programs, and plans to conduct classes for men and women are afoot, said Dr. Ali.
