The Anti-Harassment Law of 2018 is an important step forward in creating safer workplaces for women in Saudi Arabia, and is a key component of efforts to support their growing participation in the labour market under the Vision 2030 reform agenda. By criminalizing harassment, setting clear penalties, establishing employer obligations and complaint mechanisms, the law lays a solid foundation for change.
It forms part of a broader set of legal reforms and policy changes that aim to strengthen women’s position in society. These include amendments to labour laws and civil status laws, the easing of gender segregation, the lifting of the driving ban, and the introduction of anti-discrimination provisions. The impact of these reforms – combined with state-led economic policies – is reflected in the significant rise of women’s participation in the labour market – from 20.1% in 2017 to 34.5% in 2023.
While the Anti-Harassment Law signals a shift in Saudi state policy and a positive step in promoting women’s transition into the workplace it is unclear how effective it is due to limited evidence of implementation, monitoring and enforcement. Despite this progress, societal norms and deeply rooted structural factors often shape women’s career choices. Many women still feel uncomfortable sharing professional spaces with men. This situation can exacerbate existing occupational sorting, with women remaining concentrated in traditional roles, such as education. Consequently, despite an overall increase in workforce participation, the gender wage gap has in fact widened in some sectors. As social challenges continue to persist, turning legal reforms into meaningful cultural and workplace improvements will require consistent effort and commitment.
The Anti-Harassment Law and workplace protections
Worldwide, workplace harassment has been recognized as a major barrier to women’s career advancement and educational opportunities. In Saudi, the introduction of legislation aimed at creating safer workplaces is significant. However, like any reform, there is room for growth.
The 2018 law criminalizes all forms of harassment – physical, verbal, and psychological – across both public and private spaces. It defines harassment as “any utterance, act or gesture of a sexual nature made by a person that impinges on another person’s body, honour or modesty by any means, including modern technologies.” Penalties range from six months to five years in prison and fines of up to 300,000 SAR ($80,000) – with harsher punishments for repeat offenders or those targeting vulnerable persons, such as minors or individuals with disabilities. The law also provides anonymous reporting mechanisms and places an obligation on public and private institutions to actively prevent harassment.
In 2019, the Kingdom introduced the Regulatory Framework Addressing Workplace Harassment, through the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) Resolution No. 20912. This operational framework supplements the 2018 law by setting out employer obligations and procedures for creating harassment prevention policies, forming investigation committees, and ensuring confidentiality in complaint handling. It also mandates employers to establish internal mechanisms for addressing and preventing harassment, making it a more operational and employer-specific complement to the law.
In 2021, an additional amendment introduced a “naming and shaming” provision, allowing the names of convicted offenders to be published in local media. This aims to reinforce deterrence through social accountability. While Several cases have been reported publicly, official statistics on the number of harassment cases and how they were handled are not available, hindering evaluation of the law’s impact.
Improving the effectiveness of the legislation
While the legislation is in place, implementation challenges remain. Four key challenges limit the law’s effectiveness.
Anonymous and accessible reporting channels
While the rules outline processes for reporting incidents of harassment, employees may not be aware of them or find them easy to navigate. The MHRSD should promote awareness campaigns, offer multilingual resources, and establish anonymous reporting channels to address this gap.
Employer guidelines
The framework obliges employers to take measures to prevent harassment but provides little guidance on what constitutes sufficient action. Specifying the roles and responsibilities of management in preventing harassment as well as providing detailed guidance on handling complaints, conducting investigations, and enforcing measures would support effectiveness.
Monitoring and evaluation
There is currently no formal public reporting on harassment cases. Continuous monitoring and evaluation of the legislation’s impact on the workplace would be instrumental in improving its application. Periodic reviews could help identify emerging challenges and ensure the regulations evolve in line with changes in the workforce or societal attitudes.
Social stigma and victim-blaming
Law alone cannot fully protect victims while harmful norms persist. Globally, victim-shaming and social stigma remain critical barriers to reporting sexual crimes. The experience of neighbouring Kuwait’s awareness campaign highlights the importance of confronting shame culture. Ultimately, combatting harassment requires a societal shift in attitudes towards victims.
Balancing reform and tradition: cultural sensitivity in a society in transition
The Anti-Harassment Law was introduced at a time of social transformation, coinciding with a wider effort to expand women’s rights and participation in public life. These reforms have sought to modernize but at a pace conducive to cultural sensitivities – which continue to influence workplace dynamics. Some critics might argue that this approach has resulted in largely symbolic change; however, the cumulative effect of reforms – the lifting of the driving ban (2018) and amendments to child custody laws, among others – has been a surge in female labour force participation and rapid expansion of mixed-gender workplaces. This demonstrates that barriers preventing women from entering the workplace and limiting career options have weakened.
The Saudi government’s approach has sought to balance modernization with cultural norms in order to ensure that reforms are seen as authentic and sustainable rather than externally imposed. Article 3.1 of the anti-harassment law allows for workplace separation measures. The intention behind the Article is not to avoid addressing the root causes of harassment – power imbalances and gender discrimination – but to acknowledge cultural sensitivities. Historically, religious conservatives opposed mixed-gender workplaces and, subsequently, resisted the introduction of anti-harassment legislation, and while many women feel comfortable in mixed workplaces, others find such environments challenging due to deeply ingrained cultural norms. Even without legal requirements for gender segregation, these cultural preferences continue to influence workplace dynamics.
These tensions reveal a broader paradox in the Gulf: while legislative reforms has been rapid, social transformation remains gradual. The law can mandate changed from top-down but cultural expectations still define the boundaries of women’s workforce participation. Women’s concerns often extend beyond physical safety to social acceptability, meaning that legal progress alone cannot dissolve the dense web of social expectations shaping women’s choices.
Looking ahead, future initiatives could focus on enhancing inclusivity in the workplace by providing networking and mentorship opportunities for women alongside men. These efforts will further contribute to a work culture based on mutual respect and equal opportunity.
Pathways to empowerment
The Anti-Harassment Law represents a concrete step towards improving women’s safety and wellbeing and creating a supportive framework for women entering new spaces. It reflects a commitment to laying the groundwork for a more inclusive and progressive society.
The Kingdom’s approach to implementing reforms that respect the country’s social fabric while empowering women holds the potential to yield lasting, meaningful change. However, there are opportunities for further progress, including in ensuring consistent enforcement of the Anti-Harassment Law across all sectors, establishing clearer reporting mechanisms, and providing more robust training for employers and employees. Notwithstanding persistent cultural barriers, there is evidence of tangible progress. For example, Saudi women are entering the STEM sector in unprecedented numbers. These shifts suggest that while change may be gradual, it is gaining momentum and will continue to reshape the gender landscape of the Saudi labour market. As Saudi Arabia continues its cultural transformation, the Anti- Harassment law is a crucial legislation that will create a safer, more supportive environment where women can thrive in the workforce.
