Gulf | Saudi Arabia
Saudi women call to ease restrictions
Saudi activists have urged King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to ease restrictions on women in the country.
- By Duraid Al Baik, Associate Editor
- Published: 23:04 July 10, 2009
Dubai: Saudi activists have urged King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to ease restrictions on women in the country.
Commenting on a report issued by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday, Wajeeha Al Huwaider, an outspoken woman activist, said the male guardianship system curbs the freedom of Saudi women and is the prime hindrance to obtaining their rights.
In a telephone interview, Al Huwaider said she would not stop the campaign until the system is eliminated.
She told Gulf News that the campaign gained momentum when a group of Saudi women, who were on their way to Bahrain, were stopped at the Saudi-Bahrain causeway border point by the Saudi immigration authorities for not carrying no objection certificates from their respective guardians.
A Riyadh-based woman activist told Gulf News that women in the kingdom are still awaiting the implementation of a royal pledge to give women their full rights. Umm Tariq, in a telephone interview, said Saudi women prefer calls for their rights from within the country as she believes they create a strong impact on policy makers.
"Local pressure, however, is still very weak in comparison with forces who are against women's rights in the kingdom," Umm Tariq said.
She said women in Saudi Arabia are not living a normal life as compared with their counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council.
"Local pressure does not mean that women do not welcome international support to get their rights. Women welcome the support of international organisation," Umm Tariq said.
In a statement published by HRW, the international agency stated that the Saudi officials continue to require women to obtain permission from male guardians to conduct their most basic affairs, like travelling or receiving medical care, despite government assertions that no such requirements exist.
"As a divorced woman whose father is dead, my male guardian is my 22-year old son. This year, I asked him to give me a no-objection letter to go to Syria where I am planning to spend my summer holiday. I am a 55-year old teacher and a mother of four, but I still require the permission of my son," she said.
"Just imagine if my son refused to give me such a letter?"
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