Saudi police appoint women for festival

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, March 14 (UPI) -- A new women-only unit has been created by Saudi Arabian police to monitor females' behavior and dress at the Jenadriyah Heritage and Culture Festival.

The all-women unit of Saudi Arabia's Commission for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice will be responsible for warning and arresting women who are in violation of religious standards regarding behavior and dress during the popular festival, al-Arabiya reported.

Hundreds of women reportedly have been appointed as officers in an effort to relieve the embarrassment male commission members feel when mixing with females, especially in female-only locations or in situations of "immoral joining of the sexes," the report said.

Women and men do not mingle together during the festival because each sex has distinct areas and festivities, the report said.