Man gropes teenager at a mall in Saudi Arabia, gets arrested

Saudi police arrested a man who groped and sexually harassed a teenage girl at a mall in the kingdom's Al Baha city, Al Riyadh newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The incident occurred earlier this week and left people at the shopping center shocked. Witnesses who were at the scene told local media outlets that they heard the 16-year-old victim screaming and saw her trying to stop the man from escaping.

Although the alleged perpetrator managed to rush out of the mall after shoving the girl away, he left his car parked outside the area. According to a source who spoke to Sada news site, the entire assault was captured on CCTV cameras.

"Some women these days are calling on men to harass them. No one would harass a woman who dresses modestly, that's impossible." 

"Just for your information, he harassed a child."

"He has absolutely no right to even touch her. And you're saying she's the one to blame for it... may he be jailed, lashed, and fined over this."

"The anti-harassment law is in effect and this man is going to be punished whether the woman was covered up or not. A few years in jail, a fine and that's it." 

Sexual harassment cases are reported in Saudi Arabia on a daily basis and the country is now adamant to take action against the alarming rates of abuse.

In recent months, police departments across the kingdom have made immediate arrests in several abuse cases captured in videos that went viral on social media. In addition, the country recently passed an anti-sexual harassment law aimed at protecting victims. 

The law is of vital importance in the kingdom, where women continue to face high rates of sexual harassment. Activists hope it will encourage more victims to come forth and report their abuser.