المرأة السعودية في الحج.. كفاءة أمنية.. احترافية

The role of Saudi women has become clearly active and influential in the Hajj system, with their roles distributed among security, healthcare, media, guidance, volunteering, food, transportation, and various other key areas. Saudi women have played a significant and essential role that has confirmed their capabilities in dealing with the guests of Allah in the holy sites, airports, media, transportation, and tourism.

Since the launch of Saudi Vision 2030, Saudi women have enjoyed unprecedented empowerment in government entities, such as the Ministry of Interior and its security sectors. The Ministry of Interior has enhanced women's empowerment within the ministry's office and its security sectors by involving them in tasks related to serving the guests of Allah and ensuring the security of the Grand Mosque and the holy sites. They have also undertaken organizational and field monitoring tasks, translation, and receiving reports concerning the safety of pilgrims and Umrah performers, contributing to maintaining security and enhancing preventive safety through the preparation of executive plans for civil defense and supportive tasks, checking safety conditions and general preventive situations in facilities, serving visitors to the Kingdom at entry points, restoring and processing documents, developing electronic services, analyzing information, building indicators, improving operations, and receiving emergency security reports through unified security operations centers (911) in the regions of Makkah, Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and Madinah.

Supervision of checkpoints

Saudi women have contributed to combating all types of crime, preserving the environment, participating in local, regional, and international events, languages and translation, organizing exhibitions and conferences, supporting security operations rooms, community service, and family medicine. They have prepared and implemented training and development programs for female personnel in security sectors during their qualification and on the job, developing the necessary standards for quality training and qualification, and executing prison tasks in guarding, transportation, protection, monitoring, and providing security training and academic consultations.

Female personnel in security agencies play vital roles in organizing the movement of pilgrims, supervising checkpoints, and ensuring smooth entry into designated worship sites, which reflects their professional competence in effectively managing and organizing crowds.

An influential role for female recruits

Saudi women entered the military sector in previous years in limited areas focused on prisons, passports, and medical and nursing tasks. In 2018, they began working in the military sector through the Ministries of Interior and Defense, occupying various positions in public security, passports, air and naval forces, and more.

In 2021, the first women's training institute for public security was opened to prepare and train female recruits in several security and technical specialties, graduating many female personnel who have served in various security sectors over the past years. In the media field, they have excelled in presenting, photography, and journalistic work. In the health sector, Saudi women have historically provided integrated medical services for pilgrims through teams that include doctors, nurses, health assistants, and volunteers working around the clock to ensure primary care, handle emergencies, and implement health awareness campaigns. Their role is not limited to healthcare facilities; they also provide necessary medical care to those in need throughout the holy sites and the Grand Mosque.

Mutawwifahs and supporters

Saudi women work as mutawwifahs (guides) during Hajj, and the organizing committees deploy teams that include female personnel. The mutawwifah plays an important educational and awareness role, as there are specific questions that women may hesitate to ask men regarding the pillars and obligations of Hajj. The mutawwifah takes on the responsibility of answering these questions and educating women about them. The role of the mutawwifah, especially with sick women, goes beyond this; she becomes a nurse and psychological supporter, caring for the sick woman and encouraging her to perform the rituals in the best possible way.

Saudi women have provided significant services to the guests of Allah in guidance, food, humanitarian work, distributing meals and water, and providing logistical support, reflecting a spirit of initiative and social responsibility. This diversity in the roles performed by Saudi women during the Hajj season is a practical embodiment of women's empowerment and confirms their active role in various sectors, enhancing their status as a key partner in development and serving the pilgrims, setting a model to be emulated.

Success of the empowerment project

Security expert, retired Major General Musfer Al-Juaid, confirmed that the emergence of the role of Saudi women and their active participation in many fields has proven their great ability to establish a strong entity capable of contributing to maintaining the security of the homeland and serving the guests of Allah. He added: "Saudi women have proven their ability to face significant challenges through the achievements they have made, demonstrating their excellence in various fields." Experts and specialists have confirmed that women have provided all the support and professionalism in security fields after receiving intensive training courses that qualify them to participate in security work, including police, traffic, investigation, public prosecution, and intellectual security, among other fields where they are expected to achieve significant accomplishments and successes to contribute to the service and development of the homeland.

Major General Al-Juaid explained that previous experiences and initiatives for women's participation in the security field in women's prisons have proven to be highly successful and distinguished.

For his part, retired Major General Salem Al-Mutrafi pointed out that many public and private sectors around the world are witnessing an important transformation in women's work. Among these sectors, the world is increasingly focusing on the role of women in security and defense; women are no longer just potential partners in maintaining public security but have become active partners contributing to achieving balance in security fields.

He added: "The pathways for empowering Saudi women have become part of all work facets, without limiting them to a narrow scope. Their entry into the Ministries of Interior and Defense is not a departure from the known stereotype of Saudi women, as they have previously entered many fields that were not available to them before, confirming the success of the empowerment project."

Significant contributions in forensic evidence

Retired Major General Al-Mutrafi indicated that women in public security participate in several security tasks, foremost among them serving the guests of Allah, as female recruits have been appointed in the Special Forces for the Security of the Two Holy Mosques and in police work. They have also been assigned to work in the General Administration of Forensic Evidence and its branches, in personal identification, criminal record checks, forensic photography, conducting vital medical tests in the field of DNA, forensic laboratories, examining all samples collected from crime scenes, and analyzing and comparing handwriting in forgery and counterfeiting to uncover the circumstances of various cases, in addition to administrative, financial, human resources, internal auditing, information technology, and systems tasks.

Women have also worked in civil defense to prepare executive plans to increase women's participation in supportive tasks as needed. They conduct preventive inspections and check safety conditions in pilgrim camps and general preventive situations in facilities.