Saudi Women Demand End to Male Guardianship
Saudi women are striking back against male guardianship laws on Twitter, sharing their stories using #
#StopEnslavingSaudiWomen is trending on Twitter in the latest campaign of women fighting for their rights in Saudi Arabia.
Women in Saudi Arabia are unable to travel, work or get a higher education without the permission of their male guardian (among a number of other restrictions). This is either their closest male relative or their husband. For a woman who is widowed, her “guardian” might even be her son.
But Saudi women are chafing under these restrictive laws and are increasingly voicing their opposition.
In addition to #StopEnslavingSaudiWomen trending in both Arabic and English, #TogetherToEndMaleGuardianship has also been popular on Twitter..
“It’s a unified effort by Saudi Women in attempt to voice their struggle in the only legal way that they can in Saudi Arabia,” the head of S.A.F.E. a campaign to end male guardianship in Saudi ArabiaIsaac Cohen said.
Human Rights Watch launched a video campaign along with a report into the harmful abuses meted out under Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship laws.
Now thousands of women and supporters around the world are tweeting against Saudi Arabia’s discriminatory laws.
Many are sharing personal stories of abuse they have suffered, or even pictures.
People have also shared hard-hitting cartoons highlighting the injustice of guardianship law.
Join in the campaign to support the campaign to end male guardianship in solidarity by tweeting #TogetherToEndMaleGuardianship and #StopEnslavingSaudiWomen.
