Social circles in Libya reacted positively this week to the security authorities punishing a group of teenage boys in the east of the country after they gathered in front of girls’ schools and harassed students, mostly as they were departing at the end of the school day.
The security authorities of the city of Ajdabiya, which is controlled by the Libyan Army, chose to punish those teenagers by forcibly giving them a "zero" buzz cut. A method that had already been applied by the police in a nearby area, as part of an effort to put an end to the phenomenon, which girls’ guardians having been complaining about to the security authorities.
Upon the Ajdabiya police’s release of photos depicting the shaved heads of the teenagers who had been taken into custody, some called for the application of this punishment in their areas too, referring to the fact that: ”Harassment is obviously becoming more and more common with the absence of preventive measures”.
The punishment was received with approval on social media, attacking students who had been skipping schools to sit in cafes and in front of middle and high schools.
A source from the Abjadiya police told Asharq Al-Awsat that: “The department has received many complaints from guardians, angry that their daughters are being harassed by teenagers who “sit around” near the girls’ schools”.
“We shaved those boys’ heads upon detaining them and warned them not to bother others again. Then we allowed them to return to their families," he added.
