Move to boost Saudi women’s citizenship rights

Cairo: Several members of the Saudi advisory Shura Council has proposed giving permanent residency to children of Saudi women married to foreigners to boost human rights and women’s status , according to a media report.

The proposal, made by eight Shura members, points out that eligibility for such free-of-charge residency requires that marriage between a Saudi woman and a foreigner should have been approved by the competent agencies in the kingdom, Saudi newspaper Okaz reported, citing unidentified sources.

Currently children of a Saudi woman married to a non-Saudi man are placed under the sponsorship system.

The proposal aims at fulfilling social justice, enhancing family ties, safeguarding human rights and eliminating any form of discrimination, the sources added.

Authors of the draft seek to consolidate Saudi women’s citizenship rights and stop damage resulting from their children’s failure to obtain permanent residency, they added.

Children of a Saudi woman married to a foreigner have to find another sponsor after their mother’s death, a matter that involves psychological and social problems for them, the sources said.

The authors have backed up their proposal by citing the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) joined by Saudi Arabia, the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the status of the kingdom as a member of the Group of 20.

The proposal marks the third time for members in the Shura Council to attempt to address the situation of children of Saudi women married to foreigner