Boxed In Women and Saudi Arabia’s Male Guardianship System
Abstract
This document represents a study on Saudi Arabia’s Male Guardianship System. Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system remains the most significant impediment to women’s rights in the country despite limited reforms over the last decade, Human Rights Watch said in the report. Adult women must obtain permission from a male guardian to travel abroad, marry, or be released from prison, and may be required to provide guardian consent to work or get health care. These restrictions last from birth until death, as women are, in the view of the Saudi state, permanent legal minors.
The 79-page report, “Boxed In: Women and Saudi Arabia’s Male Guardianship System,” examines in detail the panoply of formal and informal barriers women in Saudi Arabia face when attempting to make decisions or take action without the presence or consent of a male relative. As one 25-year-old Saudi woman told Human Rights Watch, “We all have to live in the borders of the boxes our dads or husbands draw for us.” In some cases, men use the permission requirements to extort large sums of money from female dependents.
Added by
CAWTAR
| 2017-12-22 12:36:57
Document Type
Studies
Source
Human Rights Watch
Keywords :
Male Guardianship System //Domestic violence// Violence against women // Gender based violence// Victims of domestic violence// women's rights // Rights of victims of violence // Wife abuse//Physical violence//Psychological violence//Sexual violence//Indicator//Family law// Marital violence//Marital rape//Discrimination against women//Saudi Arabia//Spousal violence//Violence against women in Saudi Arabia// violent relationship//Patriarchy//Early marriage// Economic violence//Divorce//Early marriage//Marriage requirement// Husband authority// Wife Disobedience//Crime//Parental disobedience// Education independence// Economic independence