END MALE GUARDIANSHIP

End The Male Guardianship Law

I'm just going to start at the top. This law is an abomination. Period. It gives Saudi men the right to have complete control over a woman no matter how old she is—controlling every aspect of their life. Where they go, what they do, EVERYTHING! 

When we're young, all decisions are made by our fathers, and we're taught systematically to think that when we're married, more freedom will be within reach. We never get to be in charge of our lives no matter how old we are. 18, 45, or 60, you will still be seeking permission to do the simplest of things. If your father dies in your lifetime, your guardianship for example will only get passed to your next guardian. There are real women that have had their husbands die and suddenly, they have to ask their 21-year-old son for permission for everything. How is that even logical? 

Here is a list of just a few things you must have male permission to do as a Saudi Woman for as long as you live. 

Travel needs your guardian's permission (Even with the rumors of relaxed laws that allow women 21 and above to travel without guardian permission they still did not change the fact that if he does not want you to travel he can still place the female under his guardianship under a travel ban. I'ts easier now than it used to be with the Absher App. Even a house keeper can be denied travel/return to their own country with a simple click of a button on a smartphone. 

Studying abroad needs your guardian's permission 

Leaving your home can be denied by your guardian 

Want a passport or a driver's license? You need your guardian's permission. 

Divorce: A man can divorce a woman without her being present in the courtroom, and without her knowledge, he can remarry with the same ease. 

If a woman wishes to divorce a man and he disagrees, she has to apply to the courts and then prove to a judge that there was mistreatment. All the while, your husband remains your guardian. That's right. He could beat you, rape you, lock you up, and there is nothing you can do about it. 

Child custody: Children belong to the husband. After all a Minor cannot possibly be the guardian of another minor... 

Here are some scenarios where all these laws correlate: 

Your husband beats you, let's say you get out of the house and runaway. He can report you as a runaway and have you brought back home and there is nothing you can do about it. 

Let's say you got picked up by the religious/morality police. They will only release you into the custody of your male guardian. In some cases, as punishment, the guardians leave the girl or wife in police custody for some time to teach them a lesson for disgracing the family name, even if their infraction was as simple as speaking to a male cousin unaccompanied in a mall.

Fact: 

We have shelters for victims of violence, family or domestic, but once you enter, you can only be released to your family or your male guardian. The shelters spend most of their time asking you to reconcile and go home. 

• That's right, so sorry your father beat you or your family is pressuring you to marry someone you don't want, but you do belong to your guardian.

In my life, I have witnessed and sat with women who have shared their experiences with me. Because it is against the law to "Disrupt Social Order" by asking questions or raising awareness of such a draconian law, we are all pushed into silence. The ones who do speak out are picked up, tried with no proper due process, put in prison, and tortured (in most cases). If they are released, they are released on the condition of silence and a travel ban to ensure they remain silent. 

To read more about the fantastic Absher App for controlling women and ex-pat workers: https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/05/06/saudi-arabias-absher-app-controlling-womens-travel-while-offering-government

Elise Evans