Riyadh (TAN): Saudi Arabia’s adult women will no longer need the consent of a male guardian to hold passport and travel abroad, the kingdom announced earlier this week, marking a major step towards reducing restrictions on women.
Earlier, Saudi women had to seek permission of a male relative to get a passport, and the ones without one were given a page in their male guardian’s passport so that they could not travel without being accompanied by a man.
The changed regulations, approved by the Saudi cabinet, will now enable women to apply for a passport on their own, and those aged 21 and above, will be able to travel independently. The reforms will also empower them to work, register marriages, divorces or births, and act as the legal guardian of minors, reports said.
The laws, which will be effective from the end of this month, is reportedly part of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to uphold women’s rights and rid the country of the image as an oppressive region for women. While a prohibition on driving was lifted last year, women can now study at a university or undergo certain medical procedures without the permission of a man.
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However, women still reportedly need male approval – usually a father, brother, or husband, and sometimes a son, or any other male relative – for basic rights like starting a business or getting married. Their legal position is ‘equal to that of a minor’, according to a CNN report. Women essentially depend on the whims of male relatives to regulate their lives.
The restrictions have made several women flee the country in recent times, seeking asylum on foreign land from their government and relatives.
