Activists call for Saudi ‘male guardian’ laws to be scrapped

HUMAN rights groups and women’s activists in Saudi Arabia have called on the country’s government to scrap a controversial male guardianship law after the announcement that the kingdom is to lift a ban on female drivers.

A decree by King Salman lifting the controversial ban was announced on Tuesday and the reform is expected to come into force next June.

While activists welcomed the move, which Amnesty International called “a long overdue small step”, attention is now turning to the kingdom’s male guardianship law, which requires women to seek a man’s permission for things such as applying for a passport, travelling abroad, or getting married.

“We also need to see a whole range of discriminatory laws and practices swept away in Saudi Arabia including the guardianship system where every woman has a male guardian who has authority to make decisions on her behalf,” Amnesty International said.

Mariam al-otaibi, 30, an activist who spent 104 days in jail after her father had her arrested on charges of “disobedience”, said she was optimistic about a shift in official attitudes to women.

The surprise decree is credited to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old heir to the throne who now oversees almost every major policy area. The decision to lift the ban on female drivers will be seen as a litmus test of his ability to force through a programme of radical reforms.