Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Women try to 'buy' their freedom to work

Publication Date: 
May 12, 2011
Source: 
Arab News
Saudi women tending to a shop.


ABHA: Saudi workingwomen have embarked on new ways to win the consent of their male legal guardians or husbands to  take a job. This is so in jobs where there are still strong taboos about women working in them.

Many Saudi workingwomen set aside a portion of their monthly income, which enables them to win the consent of their male guardians as well as to enjoy full freedom to do job, according to a report in Al-Riyadh Arabic daily.

Saudi Arabia: Let Women Vote, Run for Office

Publication Date: 
March 31, 2011
Source: 
Human Rights Watch


(Beirut) - The Saudi government's refusal to let women vote in municipal elections in September 2011 unlawfully deprives women of their rights to full and equal status under the law, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called on the election committee to allow women to vote and to run for seats on the municipal councils.

Middle East: Growth of Social Networking Media

Publication Date: 
March 15, 2011
Source: 
Khaleej Times


"The freedom conferred by anonymity encouraged Saudi Arabia women to embrace the Internet. Since more than half of Saudi blogs are reportedly written by women, gender issues are regularly addressed."

For more than 30 years, the subject of political reform in most of the Middle East was largely a part of covert debates. In little more than 30 days, however, it has forcibly entered the realm of the overt.

Saudi Arabia: Women Encouraged to Address Wide Issues in Society

Publication Date: 
March 11, 2011
Source: 
Arab News


RIYADH: The women's wing of the Human Rights Commission recently met with women consultants at the Shoura Council to exchange views on social development issues.

Social activist May Al-Issa, who was one of the consultants to attend the meeting, called on society to refrain from emphasizing women's issues and rights excessively, pointing out that it could alienate society further.

Saudi Arabia: Away from the cities, women take to the roads

Publication Date: 
February 10, 2011
Source: 
The Jerusalem Post


JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Whenever Hawazen Ebrahim’s family spends an evening picnicking in the desert outside of Medina, it’s her job to jump into the car and drive to the nearest village to load up on extra supplies. During the week, she is responsible for taking the kids to school and picking them up each day.

Ebrahim, 25, doesn’t consider herself an outlaw, nor is she protesting Saudi Arabia’s ban on women driving. She does what many Saudi women do in rural villages throughout the kingdom and drives as part of the everyday responsibilities of managing a household.

Saudi Arabia: Human Rights Commission Speaks Against Marriage of Minors

Publication Date: 
October 8, 2010
Source: 
Saudi Gazette


The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has called upon individuals, civil groups and the media to stand against the marriage of minors, describing the marriage of young girls to older males as a “violation of children’s rights found in the Convention on the Rights of the Child of which the Kingdom is a signatory”.


The government-affiliated HRC said in a press statement Wednesday that it was in the process of drawing up a legal framework to protect against the abuse of underage girls’ rights.

Looser Rein, Uncertain Gain: A Human Rights Assessment of Five Years of King Abdullah’s Reforms in Saudi Arabia

Publication Date: 
September, 2010
Looser Reign, Uncertain Gain: A Human Rights Assessment of Five Years of King Abdullah’s Reforms in Saudi Arabia

 

This 52-page report assesses five years of Saudi reforms under King Abdullah from a human rights perspective. It finds that reform has manifested itself chiefly in greater tolerance for diverse opinions and an expanded public role for women, but that royal initiatives have been largely symbolic, with only modest concrete gains or institutional protection for rights.<--break->

Saudi Arabia: Cleric calls for Muslim maids only

Publication Date: 
July 27, 2010
Source: 
Agence France Presse


RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—A Saudi cleric said only Muslim housemaids should be allowed in the oil-rich country and they should be kept segregated from men in the home, an online news site reported on Tuesday.

"If there is a need to import workers as female domestics, they should be Muslims," Sheikh Yusef al-Ahmad, a strong opponent of men and women mixing in the ultra-conservative kingdom, told the sabq.org website.

He also said female domestics should cover themselves in the home, and that, following Islamic requirements for Saudi women, they should also be required to have a male relative guardian, or mahram, with them in Saudi Arabia.

"They should be required to work in the home covered with the hijab (veil), and not mix with men in the home, not enter their rooms or the hall or serve them," he said.

Saudi Arabia: Issues of Marrying Abroad + Unmarried Saudi Women

Publication Date: 
July 10, 2010
Source: 
Khaleej Times


JEDDAH - A summer programme is to be launched to educate young Saudis about the risks of entering into marriage abroad, according to Dr Tawfiq Al Suwailam, chairman of the Society for the Welfare of Saudi Families Abroad (Awasir).

Recently, the society warned Saudis against marrying foreigners.

“There are several difficulties faced by Saudi children living abroad, such as social, economic, education and health problems. Sometimes the father simply vanishes from the scene and leaves the children with their mothers,” he said.

“We help such children by finding and certifying documents attesting to the legality of the marriage and also by helping the children to return to the kingdom and to integrate socially, so that they can become effective and productive citizens,” he added.

Talk of Women’s Rights Divides Saudi Arabia

Publication Date: 
May 31, 2010
Source: 
New York Times
Photo: New York Times

JIDDA — Roughly two years ago, Rowdha Yousef began to notice a disturbing trend: Saudi women like herself were beginning to organize campaigns for greater personal freedoms.