ALTHOUGH not everyone is fully willing to accept it, modernization is an inexorable process in the Kingdom. And it is not merely cosmetic. The increased integration of women in the workplace and in hitherto male-dominated sectors of society is one of the most integral elements of modernization that the Kingdom must face. Sexual harassment has become a common term in the West, so much so that the UN has gone so far as to define it as “unwelcome or unwanted verbal, non-verbal, physical or visual conduct based on sex or of a sexual nature; the acceptance or rejection of which affects an individual's employment.” This is also the definition provided in a new law proposed by Saudi Arabia's Shoura Council. Interaction between men and women in the workplace should take place on a level of mutual respect with hierarchy confined to that established by one's role in the workplace, not that established by gender. It goes beyond that, however. Anything that makes a member of either gender uncomfortable because of sexual content can rise to the level of sexual harassment. The kind of talk that men regularly engage in without any thought, even, of denigrating the opposite sex, can become sexual harassment when engaged in in the presence of women. The same can be true of the opposite situation. Whatever the guidelines are that Saudi society has drawn on top of Islam, some behavior is clearly not open for discussion. If men and women are to work together in any situation – be it in the same offices or in the same company where they must interact on a professional basis – respect and dignity must be put at the top of the list of proper behavior. The Shoura Council's proposed law is on the right track. While women in the workplace are still a novelty, definitions must be clearly laid down to prevent problems from occuring because of ignorance. The best way to do that is to make the law clear. __
