The Saudi Human Rights Commission (HRC) recently made an announcement: Saudi women have “high status” in the Kingdom.
There is no question that things have improved over the years, most notably young women’s access to university scholarships and the virtual freedom to choose any foreign university to study. The HRC points out that the Shoura Council has female members, which is without a doubt a huge step in female human rights.
The government has committed itself to ensuring that women have the right to vote and run as candidates for municipal councils.
To the HRC’s credit, the commission also noted that further efforts should be made to support women’s rights. But it’s unlikely that Saudi women are celebrating the HRC’s findings because the fact remains that Shoura Council membership doesn’t mean much to the average poor and middle-class Saudi women. And while a university education is by far the most significant advancement in women’s rights, it’s tempered by the dearth of jobs available upon return to the Kingdom.
Further, the scholarship program is unavailable to a large segment of the Saudi population due to the guardianship requirement. By demanding that a male guardian accompany a female student abroad, many families forgo the privilege of a free university education because they can’t afford to send an income-producing male member to a foreign country for up to five years.
Compounding the problem is the continuing financial burden of women who must hire drivers to take them to and from work, and the added frustration of dealing with unreliable, if not hostile, drivers. While private and government high schools and universities leap at the chance to hire university-educated women for academic positions, private companies are not as enthusiastic.
We are also still facing toothless domestic violence and harassment laws. With great fanfare and a slick advertising campaign two years ago, law authorities urged Saudis to report domestic violence with the promise that perpetrators will be thrown in jail and mothers and wives and children will be protected. Looks great on paper, but not so good in reality.
A friend of mine lives in an apartment complex in Jeddah’s Al-Rehab District. She daily hears the beatings and verbal abuse her neighbor and her children endure from the father. She called the police, who said they couldn’t do anything unless a member of the family filed a complaint. So much for the protection of abuse victims. We are also waiting for the Saudi judicial system to stop dragging its feet and implement reforms — particularly in family law courts — that it had promised so many years ago to give women the rights they are entitled to in Islam.
Once we as a country replace our tribal and cultural biases with laws that give women and children equal protection under codified laws we will have the “high status” the HRC is eager to promote.
