Some Saudi restaurants imposing ban on women

Saudi Arabia’s National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has criticised the decision by some restaurants to impose a ban on women who are unaccompanied by their male guardians.

Arabic daily Al Hayat reports that NSHR has said signs erected in the windows of restaurants banning women are illegal and should be removed immediately.

One manager who put up a sign banning women told Al Hayat: “We put up these signs because we have seen numerous incidents of flirting taking place inside the restaurant.

“We’ll only remove these signs when we make sure such incidents never happen again on our premises because such type of behaviour negatively impacts our business.”

Saudis have reacted strongly on social media, saying the signs were degrading to women and a step backwards.

A spokesperson for NSHR, Khalid Al Fakhri, said the restaurants cannot require single women to bring male guardians.

“These signs are against the law and reflect the personal opinions of the restaurant owners,” Al Fakhri said.