Viral video of men harassing women in a Jeddah street sparks outrage

Footage capturing a group of men horrifically harassing Saudi women in Jeddah's Dorrat Al Arous sparked outrage online over the weekend. 

In one video, tens of men are seen running after a group of women who were walking in a street located in the area, which is known for its beaches and chalets. 

In another, they're seen grabbing a woman by her abaya and cornering a few others who tried to hide in a nearby house. 

Soon after the videos started to make the rounds online, they sparked a social media meltdown of the sorts, with thousands expressing their anger over the incident.

As the videos circulated online, they angered thousands of social media users who deemed the men's behavior "uncivilized" and "barbaric."

Here's a little of what people had to say:  

"Why did they go there without their parents and guardians in the first place." 

"Uncivilized human beings, this is something to be ashamed of. It's impossible that there were no security officers anywhere to stop these men."

"This footage makes you want to cry."

"Why didn't they step in to help these girls out, they could've at least called the police instead of filming this and just watching it happen."  

"Some people are making excuses for abusers saying they were aroused by colored abayas and what not. They forget that harassers also target modest women and even children. If there was a clear, strict anti-harassment law in effect no one would dare abuse a woman or a child in any way." 

Amid the intense social media backlash, Mekkah's Governor Prince Khaled Al Faisal ordered an urgent investigation into the incident. 

In a statement posted on their official Twitter page, the governor's office wrote: 

"Mekkah's Prince has ordered the governorate's police to investigate the viral footage capturing a violations committed in Dorrat Al Arous, calling on everyone involved to be held accountable over their actions."

"Where's the sexual harassment law?"

In recent months, several cases of sexual harassment against women have been reported in the kingdom.

In reaction to that, many are calling on authorities to speed up the process of imposing a sexual harassment law, which is currently being drafted by Saudi authorities. 

In September, King Salman issued a royal decree calling upon the kingdom's interior minister to draft a law that criminalizes sexual harassment and enforces penalties on perpetrators. 

A copy of the decree, which circulated online at the time, read:

"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."

The decree also went 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."

The law is of vital importance in the kingdom, where women continue to face high rates of sexual harassment.