In the early hours of Friday, sometime before suhoor, a man in Saudi Arabia approached a woman's car in an animalistic way. He spat and licked his spit off her window, flipped her off, and pulled up his thawb as if about to reveal his genitals before the video was abruptly cut.
Mere hours after the video was uploaded online, reportedly by the victim herself, Saudi authorities arrested the perpetrator. Further details of the >incident revealed that the man approached the woman's vehicle while it was parked outside an area packed with restaurants in Al Khobar's Gosaibi city.
He repeatedly asked her to come out of the car because he "wanted her." He doesn't wait long before he threatens her and proceeds with his attack.
According to Sabq news site, the victim didn't file an official report against the man. She refused to speak to local media outlets and issued a statement saying she posted the video to get her attacker arrested. She also added that she was pleased the government has taken action in the case.
The incident angered thousands in Saudi Arabia and led others to question the effectivity of the country's >anti-sexual harassment law.
One Twitter user shared a screenshot of a conversation that reveals another person who fell victim to the same man. Some thought the legislation wasn't being applied properly when it comes to harassment cases and called on authorities to change the way they deal with reported incidents.
As usual, though, a few tried to play the victim-blaming game, but their comments were quickly shut down by online users.
Some questioned the victim's story
"I am not trying to excuse the harasser's obscene behavior, but when a sane person makes a judgement, they must look at the case from all its perspectives to learn why this person committed these actions."
But, others were more than done with such incidents
"No one's more despicable than a harasser except the person defending them."
Many hailed the women speaking up against harassment
"Good on you, girls. Don't stay silent when it comes to your rights. Any woman who has a video or proof of an assault must release it."
Sexual harassment continues to be an issue in Saudi Arabia
Despite the fact that Saudi Arabia >passed an anti-harassment law, such incidents still happen on a >daily basis.
According to a 2014 study, nearly> 80 percent of women - aged 18 to 48 - said they have experienced some form of sexual harassment in Saudi Arabia.
The Institute for International Research, a Canadian institute specialized in research and field studies, found that Saudi Arabia witnessed an 11.4 percent increase in sexual harassment cases in 2016, compared to 2014.
As cases continue to pile up, many are now demanding that police take even stricter actions against harassers, and local authorities are responding to the public's demand in this regard.
The country is more adamant than ever to take action against the alarming >rates of abuse as police departments continue to make >immediate arrests when any case of sexual assault comes to their attention.