Abdulaziz Al-Suwayed
Why do some Shoura Council members get angry at the media when it attacks them for calling for Saudi women to work as grocery shopkeepers? If Shoura Council members have made such a recommendation, then what can we expect next? Will some members recommend that Saudi women work as plumbers or bakers?!
If women were allowed to run grocery shops, how would they make home deliveries? What kind of transport would they use? Did the members who came up with this recommendation think about this? I sometimes think that the recommendations of Shoura Council members do not make much sense or have not been properly studied or thought out.
I have a message for Council members who really care about finding ways to create job opportunities for women. Firstly, try to lay down a law that protects the rights of women as clearly as possible in line with Shariah. The work environment for women should protect women’s rights and safeguard them from harassment or abuse of power from line managers and those who have the power to hire and fire employees.
Some women are abused because they are poor and needy. All work environments for women should have surveillance cameras to prevent any attempt to abuse or harass women. The Ministry of Labor has not succeeded in ending the exploitation of women, nor has the Shoura Council.
