DOHA: Saudi Arabian laws requiring women to have male guardians have been reformed in recent years but continue to restrict and endanger them, obstructing government plans to reform the economy, US-based Human Rights Watch says in a report.

The report drew criticism on Sunday from a government rights official, who said the system was designed to protect and help women, and was less restrictive than portrayed by HRW.

Women in Saudi Arabia must usually obtain permission from a guardian — father, husband or son — to travel, study or marry.

These laws, making women legal wards of a male relative and backed by a powerful clerical establishment, have in recent years been reformed, with women no longer needing to obtain male guardian permission to work, HRW said in the report, Boxed In: Women and Saudi Arabia’s Male Guardia­nship System. But the system remains largely intact and an impediment to realising women’s rights, it said.

Mufleh al-Qahtani, chairman of the government-licensed National Society for Human Rights, told Reuters the report confused tradition with state policy that was improving women’s status.

“It conflates the laws on women’s guardianship that authorities are being asked to amend or develop with customs prevailing in society that may ... take time to change,” he said.

Dozens of Saudi women interviewed by HRW said their lives were subject to male supervision when it came to applying for a passport, leaving the country, getting married and accessing courts and medical treatment.

A 25-year-old woman referred to as Zahra, whose father used to beat her and later refused to allow her to travel overseas to study, was quoted as telling HRW: “Whenever someone tells me, ‘You should have a five-year plan,’ I say I can’t. I’ll have a five-year plan and then my dad would disagree. Why have a plan?”

Other women told HRW their friends or relatives had sought to marry to escape strict, conservative, or abusive fathers and brothers. A woman named Tala said: “The guardianship system is always a nightmare. I don’t want to get married because I don’t want a stranger to control me ... Basically, it is slavery.”

Women are not allowed to drive and face difficulty in many transactions such as renting an apartment, without a male relative.

But the late King Abdullah in 2011 gave women the right to vote and run for office in local elections, and in 2013 appointed 30 women to the Shura Council, the appointed parliament that discusses new laws and advises the government on legislation.

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled in April an ambitious plan to transform the economy by 2030, which envisages increasing women’s participation in the workforce to 30 per cent from 22 per cent.

HRW’s Kristine Beckerle said the kingdom could not achieve this vision if it did not abolish male guardianship. Officials often say the failure to end discrim­i­nation against women is not due to state policy but difficulties in implementation.

On the question of travel, Qahtani said: “There is no problem for any woman to travel in the absence of a dispute in the family. In the event of a dispute it must be resolved first to ensure each party fulfils its obligations towards the family.” He added: “One should bear in mind that Saudi society is conservative and some of the customs and traditions of the society need time to be adjusted.”

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.
Concerning measures
Updated 03 Nov, 2024

Concerning measures

The govt must seek political input and consensus on the changes it is seeking to make and be open about its intentions.
Short-lived relief?
03 Nov, 2024

Short-lived relief?

POLICYMAKERS must be jumping with joy. At the close of the first quarter of FY25, the budget posted a consolidated...
Brisk spread
03 Nov, 2024

Brisk spread

THE surge in polio cases has reached distressing levels with a tally of 45 last reported, after two cases emerged in...