media-specialprocedures@ohchr.org
Positive steps for women in SaudiArab
guardianship” system welcomed but more needed, say UN experts
GENEVA (8 August 2019) – Royal
decrees allowing all Saudi women to apply for passports and women aged 21 and
above to travel independently without their guardians’ permission have been
welcomed by UN rights experts*.
“This is an encouraging move towards
the complete abolition of the ‘guardianship’ system,” they said.
“We should not forget that these
positive developments are the result of years of relentless advocacy and effort
of many human rights and women’s rights defenders in Saudi Arabia. Many are
still being held and we call for their immediate release.”
“Women continue to face numerous
restrictions under the guardianship system, which gives men arbitrary authority
over their female relatives and is based on, and results in, discrimination against
women, and negates their fundamental human rights and their dignity as
autonomous human beings. It severely impairs women’s equal participation and
decision-making in political, economic and social affairs and the enjoyment of
their human rights including the rights to freedom of movement, education,
work, access to justice, privacy and family life,” the UN experts said.
The Special Rapporteur on Privacy,
Joseph Cannataci, expressed grave concern over the technological tools and apps
allowing male “guardians” to extend their control of women to the digital
sphere and to restrict their freedom of movement.
“I am particularly concerned about
the use of the Absher’s mobile phone app that allows male ‘guardians’ to
monitor, restrict and control women’s whereabouts and freedom of movement in
ways that are incompatible with their human right to privacy,” he said.
“I expect that this type of
functionality will be immediately abolished in order to be compliant with both
the spirit and the letter of the new law.”
“Any progress will remain very
frail unless accompanied by wider reforms and by measures to ensure that rights
are reflected and enshrined in the constitution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
and not solely through royal decrees,” the experts said.
While acknowledging this welcoming
initiative, the experts urged the government to fulfil without any further
delay its pledge to fully abolish the male ‘guardianship’ system as promised at
the UN Human Rights Council in March 2019.
ENDS
(*) The UN experts: Mr. Joseph
Cannataci (Malta) was appointed as the first Special Rapporteur on the right toprivacy by the Human Rights Council in July 2015. The UN Working Group on
discrimination against women and girls is composed of five independent experts:
Ms Meskerem Geset Techane (Ethiopia), Chairperson; Ms Elizabeth Broderick
(Australia); Ms Ivana Radačić (Croatia); Ms Alda Facio (Costa Rica),; and Ms
Melissa Upreti (Nepal).
The Special Rapporteurs and Working
Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights
Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN
Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent
fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country
situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures
experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a
salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization
and serve in their individual capacity.
UN Human Rights, Country Page —
Saudi Arabia
For more information please
contact: Ms Krystel Abi Habib(+41 22 917 9042) or write to srprivacy @ohchr.org.
For media inquiries related to
other UN independent experts:
Mr. Jeremy Laurence, UN Human
Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / jlaurence@ohchr.org)
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