“When we were trying to get near the stone, we realize that we were the only women here. Suddenly I felt a finger groping my private area,” said Dini.
Dini immediately told her mother who stared back at the perpetrator. This prompted him to stop his action. And after the incident, she said the older man was “still trying to get near us.”
In response, Religious Affairs Ministry’s Haj and Umrah Director General Hilman Latief expressed his concerns. He said he has yet to receive official reports or complaints with regard to the cases but his agency will take anticipatory measures during this year’s haj season.
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“First, we will increase the number of female officers, and secondly, we will optimize the role of female supervisors,” he said.
He said the ministry has also conveyed this “aspiration” to the government of Saudi Arabia so that “services for women – including the provision of toilets – can receive special attention” because the number of female pilgrims from Indonesia can constitute more than half of the total pilgrims. (rr)