Okaz newspaper

I recently read in Makkah newspaper that the Minister of Labor and Social Development has approved a charter to combat harassment at work, especially at his ministry. The charter consists of 12 articles, including banning all male and female ministry employees from meeting together in private.

In cases where male and female employees must meet for work-related reasons, the door of the meeting room must be kept open. The charter also mentioned that in any meeting a proper space must be maintained between employees of the opposite gender and they must never talk about personal matters that are not related to work.

I would like to thank the minister for taking this step. I believe that this charter should not be limited to the staff of the ministry, but should be applied to all work environments.

While the authority of each minister does not exceed the boundaries of his ministry, that is not the case with the Ministry of Labor and Social Development because socially and organizationally, it is responsible for creating a healthy work environment in which it is suitable for women to work.

Women should be protected from all forms of harassment, physical and verbal. They should be protected from being exploited or taken advantage of because of their financial condition or for any other reason.

That is why the charter that was approved by the Minister of Labor and Social Development should be implemented in all places where women work. It should be part of the ministry’s job to ensure that this charter is implemented in all locations and fines should be imposed on all establishments that do not apply it. Saudi Arabian women should work in a peaceful environment in which their honor and dignity is protected.