Saudi shops to erect separation walls
2013-01-28 22:06
Riyadh - Saudi authorities have ordered shops employing
both men and women to build separation walls to enforce the strict segregation
laws of the ultra-conservative kingdom, local press reported on Monday.
The order that was issued by Labour Minister Adel Faqih
also had the stamp of Abdullatif al-Sheikh, the head of the Commission for the
Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, commonly known as Mutawa and
religious police, several dailies reported.
It stipulated that a separation barrier, not shorter than
1.6m, should be erected to divide working men and women.
Authorities in June 2011 told lingerie shops to replace
their salesmen, mostly Asian, with Saudi saleswomen.
This directive was later extended to cosmetic outlets.
Saudi women have long complained they feel uncomfortable
having to buy lingerie from men and would prefer female sales assistants.
In December, the head of the religious police strongly
criticised the labour ministry, claiming that saleswomen do not have a proper
working environment and that some have been harassed.
The labour ministry had said the decision to employ women
at lingerie shops should create some 44 000 jobs for Saudi women, among whom
unemployment is more than 30%, according to official figures.
