Women cashing in on ban on bachelors
By DIANA AL-JASSEM | ARAB NEWS
JEDDAH: The ban on single males entering certain public venues such as malls has led to a growth in women taking money from young men by pretending to be together as families to pass security guards at entrances.
Many women charge anything between SR10 and SR50 depending on the season and location. The recent summer and Eid holidays saw a particular surge in women generating money in this way.
"The summer was a good time for us. I made a large sum of money. It's very easy. All I have to do is accompany these young men inside and then put the money in my pocket," said a Saudi woman in her mid-30s who requested not to publish her name.
"I charge SR20 in addition to any entrance fees that there may be which range from SR25 to SR30. I sometimes double my fees depending on the way the man looks, the car he drives and stuff like that," she said.
"If it's a group of teens, then I bring them in pretending they are my children but then charge less. I might charge them SR10 and then divide my entrance fees among them. My job ends once they're inside. I immediately leave for the next customer. When inside they are on their own," she said, adding that she is not afraid of being identified by security guards who ignore her and allow her to enter through the main door.
When it comes to clamping down on the problem, most security guards turn a blind eye. "We do notice large numbers of women or young girls gathering outside. They're usually waiting for males who they can charge to bring in. We've, however, been instructed by the management not to ban such women from entering," said Fahd Al-Muwallad, a security guard at a popular entrainment location in Jeddah.
"We're told to deal with women in a sensitive way. Sometimes we see youths meeting their girlfriends and to be honest it's difficult to ascertain if they are related or not," he added.
One location that has experienced this sort of problem is the Al-Shalal Amusement Park on Jeddah's Corniche. "It is true that a large number of young boys enter the park accompanied by women whom they are not related to. They pretend they are related in order to enter. To stop this, we've increased the number of security guards outside. They stand one or two meters from the gate," said Emad Atwa, the park's assistant manager.
"We also have undercover security guards inside the park who ask young men for their identity cards to ensure they are with their families," he added.
It also happens that security guards end up allowing their own friends to enter without their family. "As a result we send guards outside the park to observe what happens outside. When we catch women doing this, we take copies of their identification cards and make them sign letters promising not to repeat the action again. If caught again, then we will refer the matter to the police," said Atwa.
By DIANA AL-JASSEM | ARAB NEWS
JEDDAH: The ban on single males entering certain public venues such as malls has led to a growth in women taking money from young men by pretending to be together as families to pass security guards at entrances.
Many women charge anything between SR10 and SR50 depending on the season and location. The recent summer and Eid holidays saw a particular surge in women generating money in this way.
"The summer was a good time for us. I made a large sum of money. It's very easy. All I have to do is accompany these young men inside and then put the money in my pocket," said a Saudi woman in her mid-30s who requested not to publish her name.
"I charge SR20 in addition to any entrance fees that there may be which range from SR25 to SR30. I sometimes double my fees depending on the way the man looks, the car he drives and stuff like that," she said.
"If it's a group of teens, then I bring them in pretending they are my children but then charge less. I might charge them SR10 and then divide my entrance fees among them. My job ends once they're inside. I immediately leave for the next customer. When inside they are on their own," she said, adding that she is not afraid of being identified by security guards who ignore her and allow her to enter through the main door.
When it comes to clamping down on the problem, most security guards turn a blind eye. "We do notice large numbers of women or young girls gathering outside. They're usually waiting for males who they can charge to bring in. We've, however, been instructed by the management not to ban such women from entering," said Fahd Al-Muwallad, a security guard at a popular entrainment location in Jeddah.
"We're told to deal with women in a sensitive way. Sometimes we see youths meeting their girlfriends and to be honest it's difficult to ascertain if they are related or not," he added.
One location that has experienced this sort of problem is the Al-Shalal Amusement Park on Jeddah's Corniche. "It is true that a large number of young boys enter the park accompanied by women whom they are not related to. They pretend they are related in order to enter. To stop this, we've increased the number of security guards outside. They stand one or two meters from the gate," said Emad Atwa, the park's assistant manager.
"We also have undercover security guards inside the park who ask young men for their identity cards to ensure they are with their families," he added.
It also happens that security guards end up allowing their own friends to enter without their family. "As a result we send guards outside the park to observe what happens outside. When we catch women doing this, we take copies of their identification cards and make them sign letters promising not to repeat the action again. If caught again, then we will refer the matter to the police," said Atwa.
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