Saudi women to get state services without male guardian’s permission

Saudi women will no longer need a male guardian’s consent to receive state services. The new decree comes after Riyadh, which has been slammed for a poor women’s rights record and gender inequality, was appointed to the UN Commission on the Status of Women.


The decree states that women are no longer required to have a male guardian’s permission to request services “unless there is a legal basis for this request in accordance with the provisions of the Islamic Shariah.” It was issued by King Salman, local media reported Thursday.

“This came in a royal directive to all concerned government agencies, after approval of proposals raised by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to resolve issues related to human rights,” the royal decree stated.

The former procedure obliged Saudi women applying for various government services to provide written consent from their guardians for their applications to be processed. The guardian can be a husband, father, brother, or son.

The system often created problems for women without male relatives who could act as guardians.
 rt.com
5/5/17