“Saudi authorities will not show any leniency toward people who publish such false advertisements to seduce women; they will be dealt with strongly,” said Ahmed bin Qassim Al-Ghamdi, director general of the commission’s office in Makkah.
Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, director of licenses at the Information Ministry, said newspapers should ensure the authenticity of advertisements before publishing them. “If we receive any complaint, the person involved will be held responsible in accordance with the law,” he told Al-Madinah daily recently.
The advertisements in question often offer attractive salaries and benefits to women job seekers who do not have any experience or qualifications, the paper said. The employers will say that applicants will be given necessary training.
Some women job seekers said when they contacted the advertisers, they were told that the employers were seeking pretty, forward-looking women who would not object to mingling with men.
Hajar Mahmoud, who was lured by one such advertisements, said working with such people would have disastrous consequences.
Tahani Al-Harbi, another Saudi woman, talked about her experience when she applied for a secretarial job. “When I contacted them for the job, I was told the applicant should be open-minded, mature and beautiful,” she said.
Khaled Al-Zahrani, an advertisement executive, said there were strict conditions to accepting advertisements related to women, such as the person placing the ad should come to the advertising office and provide personal information.
“This will help us determine whether the advertisement is a sham or not,” he said.
