© Stringer / Reuters
The latest report from Human Rights Watch has revealed that obligatory male guardianship in Saudi Arabia remains a key obstacle to women's rights. Adult women have to get permission from men to travel abroad, marry, or be freed from prison.
These rules apply from cradle to grave, as women are always regarded as legal minors in Saudi Arabia.
The 79-page report entitled
"Boxed In: Women in Saudi Arabia's Male Guardianship System" studies the formal and informal obstacles that Saudi women face daily.
The title derives from one account given by a 25-year-old Saudi woman, who said "We all have to live in the borders of the boxes our dads or husbands draw for us."
Every Saudi woman is bound to have a male guardian, usually a father or husband, but sometimes a brother or a son. Other male relatives also have authority over women's fates, although to a lesser extent.
The guardian makes crucial life decisions for his charge: he has the power to prohibit her from traveling abroad, working, or marrying. The woman should ask her guardian for advice on getting proper health care as well.
Women's rights activists have repeatedly urged the Saudi authorities to change the situation, and in 2009 and 2013, Saudi Arabia did adopt steps to ease the control of the guardians. In particular, no permission is now needed for Saudi women to work, and a law was passed criminalizing domestic abuse.
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