In the Arab world, it's extremely difficult for victims of sexual assault to report their abusers. This isn't only because of social stigmas but also due to the fact that those who face harassment are often punished for speaking up about it.
Unfortunately, things weren't so different for Ashjan Makki, a Saudi woman who was recently fired from a company she worked for because she reported a manager who sexually harassed her.
The woman's story was spotted by Saudi tweeps after she sent out a tweet to the kingdom's Ministry of Labor and Social Development earlier this week.
In it, she shared details of her firing and asked for advice on what she should do next to fight against the injustice she was subjected to.
Makki tweeted this to the kingdom's Ministry of Labor...
"How do I take action against an organization that fired me after I gave them evidence proving my boss was harassing me? Who's the authority I should report this to?"
She has since reported her harasser to police...
After a few tweeps read Makki's story, they advised her to report the matter to police. In response, she said she had already done that, adding that she will also be taking action against her employers. In a tweet she posted after her initial complaint, the woman wrote:
"The manager has been reported to police. I still need to report my employers for firing me and trying to cover up for him."
Soon after Makki reached to the Ministry of Labor and Social Development on Twitter, they also replied stating they were ready to help with her case.
Not the first case of its kind in the kingdom
While this case counts as the most recent, it certainly isn't an isolated one. Incidents involving different forms of harassment at work, from verbal to sexual, have been reported in the kingdom in the past few months.
In November 2017, authorities arrested an Arab employer who had harassed several of his female employees, trying to force them into having relationships with him.
The country continues to crack down on such abuse cases and 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 abusers.
