Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Labor and Social Development will soon launch a >set of regulations to help fight sexual harassment in all its departments.
The move comes as part of the kingdom's >newly passed anti-sexual harassment law and aims to protect employees who work for the ministry.
Twelve edicts were listed under what has now been dubbed the "anti-workplace harassment agreement."
But, there was one edict that led to a heated discussion online. In it, women are advised to "wear full hijabs and modest, loose-fitting clothes to the workplace" to fend off harassers.
The edict made the rounds on Saudi Twitter as many criticized it, saying what a woman wears has nothing to do with her being harassed.
Others said the only real solution to >sexual harassment is to criminalize it.
However, not everyone had the same stance on the matter. Many attacked women and victims of harassment, accusing them of "enticing men with immodest clothing and make up."
Here's a little of what Saudis had to say on the topic:
"This is a correct decision"
"The more modest a woman is, the more respected she'll become"
Many were having none of this specific ruling though
"Tighten rules against companies not against women. Cover-up, cover-up, cover-up when she's already modest and covered up."
"This is shameless"
"It's as if they really believe women instigate harassment.This is shameless. Enforce rules on harassers and stop forcing regulations on women."
"What a woman wears has nothing to do with sexual harassment"
More rules included under the new agreement
Other than the fact that some rules under the agreement blame victims of harassment, many of its other edicts are also not specifically focused on punishing abusers.
Instead, they're more centered around preventing harassment from taking place by "barring the discussion of personal matters at work" and asking men and women to keep their distance from each other.
Not all the rules under the agreement were criticized online though; those that do aim to protect victims were hailed by many.
These include a regulation that states "management at the ministry must ensure a safe, proper, and respectful environment is provided for all employees."
Another rule mentions how the ministry will facilitate the reporting of sexual harassment incidents by forming a committee that will handle cases of abuse.