Saudi Arabia is getting a law that criminalizes sexual harassment

Soon after a landmark royal decree lifted the ban on female drivers in Saudi Arabia, the women's rights movement in the kingdom took one step further. 

The kingdom will soon pass a law that tackles sexual harassment, local media reported late on Thursday.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has reportedly ordered the kingdom's interior minister to draft a law that criminalizes sexual harassment and enforces penalties on perpetrators. 

According to Saudi daily Okaz, King Salman has called upon the interior minister to draft a law that combats sexual harassment within the next 60 days. 

"Considering the dangers sexual harassment poses and its negative impact on the individual, the family and society, along with its contradiction of Islamic principles, our customs and traditions [...], the ministry shall prepare a draft law to tackle sexual harassment," reads a copy of the royal decree that has been circulating online.

The decree goes on to note the "importance of passing a law that criminalizes it [sexual harassment] and outlines the necessary penalties that categorically prohibit such acts and deter anyone who feels tempted to commit them."

This comes as women in the conservative kingdom face high rates of sexual harassment, with nearly 80% of women aged 18 to 48 saying they have experienced sexual harassment, according to a 2014 study.

The Institute for International Research, a Canadian institute specialized in research and field studies, found that Saudi Arabia witnessed an 11.4% increase in sexual harassment rates in 2016, compared to 2014.

In 2014, the kingdom's Shura Council was looking into a bill that tackles verbal and physical harassment, according to Al-Monitor.

The draft suggested penalties that range from a warning and censure to fines that reach up to half a million riyals ($133,322), to flogging and imprisonment for up to five years.

It remains unclear whether the new bill will include similar sanctions. 

Saudis took to Twitter to celebrate the news about the new anti-harassment law:

"I hope for the toughest of penalties on those who harass women and children and intervene in other people's freedoms in any form." 

"Because those who are not properly disciplined by their parents shall be disciplined by the fair government."

Photo reads: "Dear male, when you repeat the stupid saying 'The fly does not approach covered candy,' remember that whether a woman wears the hijab or not, you will still be considered the fly in both cases."

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia announced that it will allow women to drive, ending the long-standing policy that had been criticized by international campaigners and women’s groups.

The royal decree mandates the creation of a ministerial body to give advice on the practicalities of the order within thirty days and a full implementation of the order by June 2018.

Additionally, former socioeconomic strategist and a director of the Arabia Foundation, Fatimah S. Baeshen, became the first woman to be assigned the role of spokesperson for Saudi Arabia's embassy in the United States. 

While women in the kingdom are achieving major strides, the fight is far from over. Activists are still calling for the abolition of the male guardianship system, which prohibits women from marrying and working without the permission of a male guardian, typically the husband, father or brother.