Saudi Arabia will criminalize sexual harassment

The Shura Advisory Council of Saudi Arabia, the country's official advisory body, has approved a law to criminalize sexual harassment in the kingdom.

The objectives of the measure are "to fight against harassment, to prevent it, to punish perpetrators and to protect victims in order to preserve the privacy, dignity and individual freedoms guaranteed by the existing Islamic jurisprudence and regulation" .

It was drafted by the Interior Ministry according to King Salman's instructions, according to local media.

However, with men and women prevented from intermingling in the strictly conservative Islamic kingdom, the Saudis on social media have largely responded with humor.

The law provides for up to two years' imprisonment and fines of up to $ 26,600 (£ 19,641). In some cases, such as repeat offenders, the penalty could be up to five years imprisonment and fines of up to $ 80,000.

It also states that alleged victims can not withdraw a complaint or fail to report an incident to the police.

The document also creates an obligation for public and private institutions to take all necessary steps to avoid harassment.

The Saudis have taken the Arab hashtag "anti-harassment law" on Twitter, using it more than 29,200 times in the past few hours. The tone was rather humorous, users tweeting self-deprecating jokes with the term "sorry girls".