Saudi public prosecution to recruit women investigators

Saudi Arabia's Public Prosecution Office will recruit women as investigators for the first time in its history, the culture and information ministry’s Center for International Communication (CIC) said in a statement on Monday.

“Vacancies are available in women's positions on the staff of the Public Prosecution for the rank of Lieutenant Investigator,” the statement said, referring to the Public Prosecution's official Twitter account.

The recruitment drive comes after the Ministry of Justice said in January that it plans to recruit 300 women as social researchers, administrative assistants, Islamic jurisprudence researchers and legal researchers. 

The applicants should be Saudi citizens, be of good standing and be a holder of a degree in Sharia or information technology, from one of the Kingdom’s colleges or its equivalent.

The selection process will include an examination and the qualification required for these positions is master's degree in relevant areas of study.

Those who qualify will be employed in five main cities: Riyadh; Jeddah; Dammam in the Eastern Province and the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, the statement added.

The Kingdom unveiled a series of reforms this year, primarily aimed at empowering women. Notable among these moves was a decree issued in September last year by King Salman to allow women to drive from June 2018.

The Vision 2030 roadmap for the future, spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aims to increase the percentage of women in the workforce, the statement noted.

Dr Waleed Al-Samaani, the Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, said that the ministry was keen to open the door to women “because they would be of great importance in facilitating the provision of services to beneficiaries in the judicial and documentary field.”

Last month, the General Directorate of Passports said as many as 107,000 women applied against 140 vacancies advertised for women to work in airports and land-border crossings.

The directorate’s website was visited more than 600,000 times, especially to check on the job vacancies, the statement added.