Saudi Arabia has lifted its ban on women driving. But the guardianship
system, which requires that every Saudi girl and woman be under the
authority of a designated male relative throughout her life, remains in
place. Without the permission of her guardian – her father, husband,
brother, son, uncle, cousin – a woman cannot marry, travel abroad, or be
released from prison. A guardian’s permission is no longer required for
a woman to see a doctor, get a job or report a crime, but many
hospitals, employers and police stations still ask for it. Women are
supposed to ask their guardian’s permission to leave the house, an
informal requirement occasionally upheld by the courts. A guardian can
file a complaint on the Ministry of Justice website to ‘demand
submission from those under his guardianship’ or to have a woman under
his guardianship returned to him. Some guardians are liberal, lenient
and supportive, and let women work and travel – but their permission is
still required. ‘I’m lucky,’ a student told Le Monde Diplomatique.
‘My father trusts me, but it’s not like that for my friends. Every time
they beg their guardians to let them go out, they say no, and often
they beat them.’..
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