This is the time of change for women in Saudi Arabia (Image via: StepFeed)

Saudi Arabian Women Don’t Need Male Guardian Anymore to Travel

Kirana Chandra Mumpuni Budiana
Politics & Economic
Regulation
Aug 02, 2019
1447
After being criticized for its policies that treated women as second class citizen, Saudi Arabia plan to make some changes. The revolutionary changes are making under the power of its ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Decrees were published on August 1 in the kingdom’s official weekly Um al-Qura gazette. One of it is about the rule to allow women over 21 years old to apply passport and travel without their male guardian. It is nonetheless a breakthrough for women’s independence and mobility that have been issues concerned by the world.

The rule came out after many women’s extreme attempts to escape from Saudi Arabia. Women in Saudi Arabia who were suffered from domestic abuse used to have problem with the guardianship system. Once they tried to escape, they were called as “runaways”. However, under the bad situation, such as domestic abuse, they won’t have much choices. Then some of them had to try the extreme ways to get away from the country. They hacked into their father’s phones or even manipulated the settings on a government app. All of those attempts are to allow themselves permission to flee from Saudi Arabia. The new rule is expected to decrease such extreme attempts.

One of the cases that grabbed attention from international was about 18-year-old Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun. She was stranded in an airport hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand, for trying to flee from Saudi Arabia to Australia. She appealed for international help, which brought Canada as her savior to grant asylum. This kind of case made Saudi Arabia looks bad for the world. Not to mention other dismissive old rules for women. So it is reasonable that Prince Salman is trying to ease the situation with the set of new rules.

The decrees are not only give freedom for travel, but there are other changes. One of it acknowledges women’s rights to register child birth, marriage, and divorce. The decrees also become women’s opportunity to be recognized as a guardian to children who are minors. Another remarkable plan is to expand work opportunities for women. That’s because the decrees will erase all kind of discrimination, whether it is based on gender, disability, or age. It will be applied for all citizen. The changes are celebrated by Saudi Arabian people, but some conservatives don’t agree.

Source: https://time.com/5642228/saudi-arabia-ends-guardianship-system/

Saudi , Arabia , women , rights , Travel , freedom , discrimination , decree