Saudi women denied basic human rights

RIGHTS DENIED: Human Rights Watch said Saudi women are being denied even basic human rights. (Getty Images)

Saudi women are being denied basic human rights under the kingdom's male guardianship and strict gender segregation policies, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Monday.

The US-based group called on the government to dismantle the "grossly discriminatory" guardianship system and drastically expand the facilities available for women to allow them equal access to public services.

Human Rights Watch said more than 100 women were interviewed for the report, 'Perpetual Minors: Human Rights Abuses Stemming from Male Guardianship and Sex Segregation in Saudi Arabia'.

Under Saudi law women are not allowed to be alone in the company of a male guardian, which can either be a father, husband, brother or son. Restaurants, cafes, shops and offices are all required to have separate areas for men and women.

Under law women are also not permitted to work, travel, study or marry, and can be denied access to health, judicial and other public services without first obtaining permission from a male guardian.

Human Rights Watch said authorities treated adult women like "legal minors" and prevented them from having any control over their lives or well-being.

“The Saudi government sacrifices basic human rights to maintain male control over women,” Farida Deif, women’s rights researcher for the Middle East at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

“Saudi women won’t make any progress until the government ends the abuses that stem from these misguided policies.”

The group also said women were not seeing the benefit of limitations on the power of guardians recently imposed by the government.

It said authorities continued to deny women access to healthcare and women over 45 the right to travel without permission, despite national regulations to the contrary.

The criticism is just the latest attack on Saudi Arabia's treatment of women by an international rights organisation.

A UN expert on women's rights said in February she had heard accounts of serious discrimination against women and abuses by religious police during a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Yakin Erturk, the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women said that while some Saudi women expressed satisfaction with their lives, "others have raised concerns of serious levels of discriminatory practices against women that compromise their rights and dignity as full human beings".

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USER COMMENTS (5 COMMENTS)

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Women rights in Saudi????!!!
Posted by Abeer, Dubai on Saturday 26 July 2008 at 11:08 UAE time

I understand people getting a bit defensive over how their country is perceived but lets be realistic here... Saudi women are denied basic human rights granted practically every where around the world...

Equally important are rights granted (or rather not!!) to non-Saudi women married to Saudi men... in cases of divorce, a Saudi man can find all sorts of loop holes in the legal system to deny his wife her basic child custody rights...this is true of muslim non Saudi wives as well as non-Muslim Saudi wives... this is one example of thousands of other examples which defy every religion and legal system...

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia - What's wrong in shariah law???
Posted by An Ignorant on Wednesday 23 April 2008 at 10:05 UAE time


Human rights watch report is clearly biased and does not reflect the true picture of the shariah law. Gentlemen, this is the law decreed upon His creation by the Creator. Saudi government is only a channel of regulating this law, as it is an Islamic country following the Shariah law and you shall follow it as long as you are in it.

Well, everything in this world has got exceptions, similarly there are some unscruplous men who misuse these laws for worldly gains, but dont you worry, Allah is the best of Judges.

Coming back to human rights violation, please do not humour me by saying that the west is the best in human rights. Everyone in the world knows whats going on in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Gitmo, and the list goes on.... Human rights watch should search back thier archives and see what the western women had to say about the shariah law sometime in the last decade. The western women were more than happy to abide by the Shariah law were they stay home and take care of the family while the man of the house protects the family.

Now, Arabianbusiness.com should not have publicised such biased material which may mislead people into thinking all these incorrect information to be true as it is being endorsed and published in an Arab Newsletter.

Women Development.
Posted by Liaquat Khan, Chitral, Pakistan on Wednesday 23 April 2008 at 09:31 UAE time

Women in the islamic society should have the same right of health care, education and other social responsibilities as men have. This is clear from date when Holy Prophet advised us to gain education with knowledge. This advice is for all and women are very much included in it.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia - get it right
Posted by lubna on Tuesday 22 April 2008 at 18:45 UAE time

Under law women are also not permitted to work, travel, study or marry, and can be denied access to health, judicial and other public services without first obtaining permission from a male guardian.

This is incorrect - women by law have to study and get health etc only in rare case do they need a male guardian.

Coming from a Arabian magazine you should be ashamed.

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia - get it right
Posted by Molouk, Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday 22 April 2008 at 12:06 UAE time


In your article on women and human rights you write, "Under Saudi law women are not allowed to be alone in the company of a male guardian, which can either be a father, husband, brother or son." This is false. In fact, the only MEN that women ARE ALLOWED to be alone with are their guardians or close relatives - father, husband, brother, son, grandfather, uncle, grandfather, etc.

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