Saudi Arabia carries out arrests over sex work and 'immoral acts'

Middle East Eye

17-03-2025

Saudi Arabia has carried out dozens of arrests in connection with sex work, street begging and human trafficking, days after a new unit was set up to tackle such issues.
Last month, the interior ministry announced the creation of the General Department for Community Security and Combating Human Trafficking Crimes.
Over 50 arrests have been made thus far, with the unit targeting mostly non-Saudi nationals.
Three foreigners were arrested by police in Riyadh over allegations of 'practising prostitution' in a hotel.
Elsewhere in the Saudi capital, 14 Yemenis were arrested for 'exploiting 27 children of the same nationality in begging'.
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Meanwhile, Jeddah police arrested five foreigners for 'engaging in immoral acts in a massage and relaxation centre'.
In al-Qassim province, a man and two women were arrested over sex work charges.
The interior ministry said that the remit of the unit was to combat crimes 'that violate personal rights, degrade fundamental freedoms guaranteed by Sharia and the law, or violate the dignity of individuals in any way'.
Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn), warned that the new unit's broad remit could lead to arbitrary arrests.
'The right way to police human trafficking or sex work is with clearly defined laws that narrowly proscribe conduct, not vague prescriptions about 'morality' and 'dignity' that open the door for arbitrary arrest and persecution,' she told Middle East Eye.
'Foreigners and migrant workers deserve the same due process protections as Saudi citizens, and that includes a warrant before they're arrested and an opportunity to challenge their charges before an impartial judge.'
'Tarnishing image'
Ali Shihabi, a commentator with a focus on Saudi Arabia, said that the new unit was set up to address an uptick in foreigners engaging in sex work.
'The right way to police human trafficking or sex work is with clearly defined laws that narrowly proscribe conduct'
- Sarah Leah Whitson, Dawn
'With easy visa access now many women have come in from abroad, stayed in hotels and advertised sex services,' he told MEE. 'It's mainly to address that phenomenon.'
As for street begging, Shihabi said it was something authorities 'have been trying to deal with for years'.
Khaled al-Sulaiman, a Saudi columnist, wrote in daily newspaper Okaz last month that the new unit would ensure that 'crimes involving immoral and prostitution activities' would not go unpunished.
'Our country has its own religious and social identity as the destination for Muslims, and no one should tarnish the image of Saudi society,' he wrote.
'While such immoral and illegal practices were previously carried out in secret, those who practice them today should never feel they can go public without consequences.'
Since rising to power, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reduced the influence of notorious religious and morality police forces which enforced strict codes on ordinary people in Saudi Arabia.
These were part of a number of social reforms in his Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the kingdom and improve its international reputation.
Despite that, last year the kingdom jailed Manahel al-Otaibi, a fitness instructor, because of opinions she expressed online on women's rights advocacy and for wearing 'indecent clothing'.