Esther Mandelstamm/February 15, 2008/4:22pm/Gender Issues
On Thursday the United Nations said that Saudi Arabia has to create new laws that help protect women from violence and allow them to play a bigger role in society and the work place. “The lack of written laws governing private life constitutes a major obstacle to women’s access to justice” said Yakin Erturk (the UN’s human rights expert on violence against women). These laws would include a family law on marriage, divorce and minimum age for marriage. Saudi Arabia was under the international eye when its Supreme Judicial Council sentenced a 19 year old female to 200 lashes and 6 months in jail for being with a man she was not related to when she was attacked and raped by seven other men in 2006. The male guardianship that is implemented limits women’s freedom of movement and ability to act in a whole range of family and social areas, from marriage, divorce and child custody to inheritance, education and employment. Saudi Arabia is the only country that women are not allowed to drive. Also migrant working maids are subject to violence and abuse. The education system is getting better for women but employment opportunities remain restricted and sex segregation operates in the work place. “Saudi Arabia must also provide training for police, health care providers, community leaders and others to show them that violence against women is both a violation of basic rights and incompatible with Muslim values”
It is so hard to believe that I have equal rights as a citizen in my country where I can walk the streets with who ever I want and I (for the most part) have equal opportunity as a woman to be in the work force. I can’t image my world being any other way but it is all too true for these women. I would consider myself a feminist and believe that these women have a voice and deserve to be free.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1477724020080214?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
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