Saudi Arabia set to allow women to travel without male permission

Saudi Arabia plans to grant women the right to travel without a male guardian’s permission as the government moves to relax social restrictions in the kingdom’s male-dominated society.

The move, confirmed by two well-placed Saudi figures including one close to the Royal Court, comes amid growing international scrutiny over women’s rights in the country after several young Saudi women fled the kingdom in recent months to escape family control or an overbearing government, seeking asylum abroad.

Women of any age and men under 21 currently need a guardian’s permission for international travel. A government committee has been instructed to reconsider the restrictions and is expected to change the rules to allow men and women to travel without the consent of a designated male family member after they reach 18.

An official announcement of the amended laws, first reported by Saudi daily Okaz on Tuesday, could be made before the end of the year, one of the people familiar with the plan said.

Gaining the freedom to travel would represent a major victory for women in the conservative kingdom. Human rights organizations have long lobbied the government to end male guardianship, saying the current system treats women as “perpetual minors”.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sought to promote female empowerment as part of his plans for economic and social reform. The kingdom lifted a ban on women drivers last year and stripped power from the religious police who used to harass women over how they dress and act in public.

But the authorities also cracked down on female activists who called for more rights, raising questions about the government’s commitment to empowering women. Female unemployment in Saudi Arabia stands at 32.5 percent.

In May 2018, just weeks before the driving ban was officially lifted, a group of activists who called for an end to male guardianship were detained and they remain on trial over charges related to their human rights work.

The kingdom’s restrictions on women came under the spotlight this year when 18-year-old Rahaf al-Qunun fled overseas to escape from her family, saying she feared for her life. She barricaded herself in a hotel room at a transit zone at Bangkok’s airport and used Twitter to seek protection. Ms. Qunun was later granted refugee status in Canada.

 “Guardianship has not officially been removed and even if it was removed this won’t be the end,” a Saudi woman wrote on Twitter.

“Our goal is to destroy patriarchy and end domestic violence. Our fight would continue and our voices would get louder until every woman can live freely, independently and safely.”