Experts want women to handle ‘sensitive’ work

Security experts, lawyers and some Shoura Council members have demanded that Saudi women be employed in the investigation departments of the security forces, mainly in rape and sexual harassment cases.
“Interrogative bodies require minute details of rape and sexual harassment cases but women are often too embarrassed and even reluctant to relate the intimate information to male interrogators,” they said.
A source said that one female victim refused to divulge the details so detectives were forced to seek the help of a female detective to mediate between the victim and the personnel dealing with the case.
Thuraya Al-Areed, a female member of the Shoura Council underscored the importance of qualifying Saudi women to work in the security forces. Speaking to a local newspaper Al-Areed said, “The female victim often cannot report the assault in detail as police stations always demand the presence of the father or a male guardian, who can sometimes be the aggressor himself.”
“More often, police stations ignore female reports in such cases regarding it as a family matter where policemen being men, do not feel able to handle the case. However, if a female was in charge of the case, there would be no need for the presence of a male member,” she added.
Ahmad Al-Othman, a lawyer agreed saying that if women were employed in this sector it would serve the best interests of females at large. “It is absolutely important for Saudi women who are nominated for the job to be given specialized training and attend courses in the security field,” he said.