Video: Amid harassment spike, Saudi Arabian woman hits back at tormentor

Security camera footage of a woman in Saudi Arabia beating an attempted sexual harasser with a mop went viral after it was leaked this week.

The scene took place at a shopping mall in al-Dammam, capital city of the economically deprived Eastern Province, home to much of Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority population.

The clip shows a woman chasing after a man and brandishing a large floor mop, eventually managing to hit him on the back as he flees.

Concern over the level of sexual harassment in Saudi Arabia spiked late last month after footage of two women being harassed by a huge group of boys and young men during Eid celebrations was circulated.

The video, which received millions of views, prompted police to announce that they had arrested several of the men pictured, and would be installing 112 new security cameras where it was filmed.

Many social media users spoke out against the clip, blaming authorities for failing to act to prevent such incidents.

Authorities in the kingdom have sought to toughen up their stance on the issue, with two airport officials sentenced to four years in jail and 1,000 lashes each for sexually harassing two teenage Iranian boys visiting the country for a pilgrimage in April.

A survey conducted last August found that almost 80 percent of respondents blamed high levels of harassment on a lack of preventative measures, as well as lengthy penal processes once cases come to court.