Human rights advocates cautiously welcome royal decree
by Saudi Arabia loosening guardianship rules on women.
A Saudi royal decree allowing women greater access to
government services without the consent of a male relative
has drawn positive, but cautious, responses from human
rights advocates.
The decree by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,
issued last month but first reported on Thursday, said
women should not be required to obtain consent for services "unless there is a legal basis for the request in accordance with the provision of the Islamic Sharia", according to local media.
Women's rights activists said the memo codifies the
rights of Saudi women to access a job, higher education or medical procedures and to exit prison, among others, without a guardian's permission.
There are no specific laws barring women from these
services, but some government bodies previously
requested that a male give his consent first.
Sahar Nasief, a Jeddah-based activist who campaigns
for an end to the guardianship system, welcomed the
decree, which is to come into effect in three months,
as a first step towards equal rights.
"Women are very happy, men too," she said. "Everyone is
talking about it."
She said she hoped the order would put a stop to what she
called arbitrary demands by government officials for
permission from male relatives, which she said is often
based on local customs and not on religious teachings.
"It [the decree] is not vague, it's very strong," she said. "If
something is not in the law, we can demand it."
But she also struck a cautious note: "Let's hope it works,
and it's not just on paper."
Nasief said women would still require a male relative's
consent to travel, as well as obtain and renew passports.
"Our goal is full equality between girls and boys," she said.
The decree relaxing guardianship, which applies to all
government bodies, was made based on proposals made
by the Saudi cabinet "aimed at resolving problems related
to women's rights", according to a statement issued by the
Saudi Human Rights Commission on Thursday.
The directive also instructs relevant government agencies
and affiliated bodies to review current procedures related
to public services provided to the kingdom's female citizens.
Maha Akeel, a women's rights campaigner and a director
at the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation,
described the decree as an opportunity to start a debate
about guardianship rules.
"Now at least it opens the door for discussion on the
guardian system," Akeel told the Thomson Reuters
Foundation. "Women are independent and can take care of
themselves."
She added: "Male guardianship is un-Islamic and
humiliating for women … Some [men] take advantage
of this male guardianship for their own benefit and abuse it."
Adam Coogle, a Middle East researcher at Human Rights
Watch, called the directive a "real step forward".
"It's a very clear acknowledgment from the king himself
that this is a problem," Coogle told Al Jazeera by phone.
But Ebthihal Mubarak, a Saudi journalist based in New York,
said the decree was "nothing but a scam", calling it a ploy to
divert attention from recent abuses of women.
"It [Saudi Arabia] issues these royal decrees without
enforcement mechanisms and no real repercussions
of non- compliance," she told Media.
"Meaning these decrees are not meant to change
anything at the institutional level, but to create the aura
of an action, to escape or divert attention from human rights scandals."
The new directive is the latest in a series of moves in
Saudi Arabia, one of the most gender-segregated nations
in the world, to include more women in the workforce as it moves to diversify its economy and cut reliance on oil, according to analysts.
The trend started in 2011 when the late King Abdullah
allowed women onto the government advisory Shura
Council.
Women can now vote in municipal elections and work
in some retail and hospitality jobs. In 2012, they were
allowed to compete in the Olympics for the first time.
by Saudi Arabia loosening guardianship rules on women.
A Saudi royal decree allowing women greater access to
government services without the consent of a male relative
has drawn positive, but cautious, responses from human
rights advocates.
The decree by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,
issued last month but first reported on Thursday, said
women should not be required to obtain consent for services "unless there is a legal basis for the request in accordance with the provision of the Islamic Sharia", according to local media.
Women's rights activists said the memo codifies the
rights of Saudi women to access a job, higher education or medical procedures and to exit prison, among others, without a guardian's permission.
There are no specific laws barring women from these
services, but some government bodies previously
requested that a male give his consent first.
Sahar Nasief, a Jeddah-based activist who campaigns
for an end to the guardianship system, welcomed the
decree, which is to come into effect in three months,
as a first step towards equal rights.
"Women are very happy, men too," she said. "Everyone is
talking about it."
She said she hoped the order would put a stop to what she
called arbitrary demands by government officials for
permission from male relatives, which she said is often
based on local customs and not on religious teachings.
"It [the decree] is not vague, it's very strong," she said. "If
something is not in the law, we can demand it."
But she also struck a cautious note: "Let's hope it works,
and it's not just on paper."
Nasief said women would still require a male relative's
consent to travel, as well as obtain and renew passports.
"Our goal is full equality between girls and boys," she said.
The decree relaxing guardianship, which applies to all
government bodies, was made based on proposals made
by the Saudi cabinet "aimed at resolving problems related
to women's rights", according to a statement issued by the
Saudi Human Rights Commission on Thursday.
The directive also instructs relevant government agencies
and affiliated bodies to review current procedures related
to public services provided to the kingdom's female citizens.
Maha Akeel, a women's rights campaigner and a director
at the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation,
described the decree as an opportunity to start a debate
about guardianship rules.
"Now at least it opens the door for discussion on the
guardian system," Akeel told the Thomson Reuters
Foundation. "Women are independent and can take care of
themselves."
She added: "Male guardianship is un-Islamic and
humiliating for women … Some [men] take advantage
of this male guardianship for their own benefit and abuse it."
Adam Coogle, a Middle East researcher at Human Rights
Watch, called the directive a "real step forward".
"It's a very clear acknowledgment from the king himself
that this is a problem," Coogle told Al Jazeera by phone.
But Ebthihal Mubarak, a Saudi journalist based in New York,
said the decree was "nothing but a scam", calling it a ploy to
divert attention from recent abuses of women.
"It [Saudi Arabia] issues these royal decrees without
enforcement mechanisms and no real repercussions
of non- compliance," she told Media.
"Meaning these decrees are not meant to change
anything at the institutional level, but to create the aura
of an action, to escape or divert attention from human rights scandals."
The new directive is the latest in a series of moves in
Saudi Arabia, one of the most gender-segregated nations
in the world, to include more women in the workforce as it moves to diversify its economy and cut reliance on oil, according to analysts.
The trend started in 2011 when the late King Abdullah
allowed women onto the government advisory Shura
Council.
Women can now vote in municipal elections and work
in some retail and hospitality jobs. In 2012, they were
allowed to compete in the Olympics for the first time.
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