This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-37469860
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Saudi women file petition to end male guardianship system | Saudi women file petition to end male guardianship system |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A petition signed by more than 14,000 Saudi women calling for an end to the country's male guardianship system has been handed to the government. | A petition signed by more than 14,000 Saudi women calling for an end to the country's male guardianship system has been handed to the government. |
Women must have the consent of a male guardian to travel abroad, and often need permission to work or study. | Women must have the consent of a male guardian to travel abroad, and often need permission to work or study. |
Support for the first large-scale campaign on the issue grew online in response to a trending Twitter hashtag. | Support for the first large-scale campaign on the issue grew online in response to a trending Twitter hashtag. |
Activist Aziza Al-Yousef, who delivered the petition, told the BBC she felt "very proud" but now needed a response. | Activist Aziza Al-Yousef, who delivered the petition, told the BBC she felt "very proud" but now needed a response. |
In the deeply conservative Islamic kingdom, a woman must have permission from her father, brother or other male relative - or in the case of a widow, sometimes her son - to obtain a passport, marry or leave the country. | In the deeply conservative Islamic kingdom, a woman must have permission from her father, brother or other male relative - or in the case of a widow, sometimes her son - to obtain a passport, marry or leave the country. |
Many workplaces and universities also demand a guardian's consent for female employees and students, although it is not legally required. | Many workplaces and universities also demand a guardian's consent for female employees and students, although it is not legally required. |
Renting a flat, undergoing hospital treatment or filing a legal claim often also require a male guardian's permission, and there is very little recourse for women whose guardians abuse them or severely limit their freedom. | Renting a flat, undergoing hospital treatment or filing a legal claim often also require a male guardian's permission, and there is very little recourse for women whose guardians abuse them or severely limit their freedom. |
How much do you know about life as a woman in Saudi Arabia? | How much do you know about life as a woman in Saudi Arabia? |
WATCH: Are Saudi women really that oppressed? | WATCH: Are Saudi women really that oppressed? |
The 'Rosa Parks' of Saudi Arabia | The 'Rosa Parks' of Saudi Arabia |
'Flabbergasted' | 'Flabbergasted' |
In July, an Arabic Twitter hashtag which translates as "Saudi women want to abolish the guardianship system" went viral after a Human Rights Watch report was published on the issue. Saudi women tweeted comments, videos and artwork calling for change. Bracelets saying "I Am My Own Guardian" appeared. | In July, an Arabic Twitter hashtag which translates as "Saudi women want to abolish the guardianship system" went viral after a Human Rights Watch report was published on the issue. Saudi women tweeted comments, videos and artwork calling for change. Bracelets saying "I Am My Own Guardian" appeared. |
The women counted on the petition all gave their full names, though more signed anonymously. Hundreds of women - one estimate suggests as many as 2,500 - bombarded the Saudi King's office over the weekend with telegrams containing personal messages backing the campaign. | The women counted on the petition all gave their full names, though more signed anonymously. Hundreds of women - one estimate suggests as many as 2,500 - bombarded the Saudi King's office over the weekend with telegrams containing personal messages backing the campaign. |
Human Rights Watch researcher Kristine Beckerle, who worked on the report, described the response as "incredible and unprecedented". | |
"I was flabbergasted - not only by the scale, but the creativity with which they've been doing it," she said. "They've made undeniably clear they won't stand to be treated as second-class citizens any longer, and it's high time their government listened." | "I was flabbergasted - not only by the scale, but the creativity with which they've been doing it," she said. "They've made undeniably clear they won't stand to be treated as second-class citizens any longer, and it's high time their government listened." |
However, there has been opposition from some Saudi women, with an alternative Arabic hashtag, which translates as #TheGuardianshipIsForHerNotAgainstHer, gaining some traction, and opinion articles, like this one on the Gulf News website, arguing that the system should be reformed and applied better. | |
Ms Yousef, who was stopped by police in 2013 for breaking the country's ban on women driving, said she did not expect any negative consequences from the petition: "I'm not worried, I'm not doing anything wrong," she said. | Ms Yousef, who was stopped by police in 2013 for breaking the country's ban on women driving, said she did not expect any negative consequences from the petition: "I'm not worried, I'm not doing anything wrong," she said. |
She said a key demand is that an age between 18 and 21 be designated, above which a woman be "treated like an adult". | She said a key demand is that an age between 18 and 21 be designated, above which a woman be "treated like an adult". |
"In every aspect, the important issue is to treat a woman as a full citizen," she said. | "In every aspect, the important issue is to treat a woman as a full citizen," she said. |
She and other activists first raised the issue five years ago. "We never had a problem with campaigning, but the problem is there is no answer. But we always hope - without hope, you cannot work," she said. | She and other activists first raised the issue five years ago. "We never had a problem with campaigning, but the problem is there is no answer. But we always hope - without hope, you cannot work," she said. |
There has been no official response to the petition yet. |