Riyadh: Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz has vehemently denied allegations by some international human rights organisations that Saudi women are deprived of many of their basic rights, saying "these are utter lies and full of exaggerations."
He asserted that Saudi Arabia gives women, who make up nearly half of the population, honour and respect.
Prince Nayef was speaking to reporters after opening a symposium on Saudi Family and Contemporary Changes organised by the Saudi Scientific Society for Meeting and Social Service at the Imam Mohammad Bin Saud Islamic University on Sunday evening.The minister was reacting to a recent report by the New York-based Human Rights Watch, in which it called on the kingdom to end the practice of sex segregation and policies that make male relatives the legal guardians of women.
The report alleged "the Saudi government sacrifices basic human rights to maintain male control over women."
Defending the kingdom's position regarding women, Prince Nayef reiterated that Saudi women are enjoying their legitimate rights ever since the birth of Islam in general and the foundation of the kingdom in particular.
"Saudi society respects women as mothers, sisters, wives and daughters. She gets respect in all respects," he said.
Prince Nayef compared Saudi society, which sacrifices itself and its blood to safeguard the dignity and honour of woman with societies that ignore women so they are compelled to expose themselves on the streets to make a living.
"In some other countries, a woman is regarded as a means to earn a livelihood for men. Why don't these people respect women and give them their due rights so that they need not go out searching for food?"
Prince Nayef added that women's basic responsibility is to bring up the younger generation to have sound social values and a strong faith based on a true creed and it is the duty of a man to look after his wife and children.
Earlier, addressing the symposium, Prince Nayef said the kingdom's basic governing system has made the family a nucleus of Saudi society, raising its members on the principles of Islamic faith. He also warned against the adverse effects of imported immoral ideas.
"It will be difficult for the Muslim family to confront such an imported culture which has freely entered our houses with its sophisticated techniques and methods of temptation," he said adding, "We are counting heavily on such forums in promoting family values and renewing the role of the family, standing firm against all challenges the Muslim family faces."
By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent, Gulf News
Showing posts with label HRW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HRW. Show all posts
Monday, May 12, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Our women must be protected: A report that publicises the plight of Saudi women
THE first and second time her husband shot her, the distressed woman in her 30s rejected advice to file a complaint. To do so, she explained, would require the presence of her obligatory male guardian, who happened to be...her husband. Without him, her testimony would not be legally valid. Besides, the all-male police might accuse her of “mixing” with the opposite sex, a crime in the eyes of most Saudi judges. The third time her husband shot her, she died.
This tale, told by a Saudi social worker in a new report on women's rights in the kingdom, is particularly harrowing. Yet it dramatises the more mundane plight of millions of Saudi women who are unable by law to study, work, travel, marry, testify in court, legalise a contract or undergo medical treatment without the assent of a close male relative, be he a father, husband or, less commonly, a grandfather, brother or son.
That Saudi women are banned from driving is well-known. But it is the imposition of male guardianship over adult women, affirms the detailed report by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based monitoring group, that is the biggest obstacle to female advancement.
As the report points out, half the kingdom's citizens are treated in effect like children or the mentally ill for the duration of their lives. Worse, the guardianship policy creates a paradox: women may be held legally responsible for a crime, even though they are not deemed to have full legal capacity.
Oddly enough, there appear to be no written statutes mandating male guardianship for women. In the religiously conservative kingdom, where Muslim sharia law is held to override all other rules, the practice stems instead from extremist Wahhabi interpretations of Muslim scripture, particularly from a Koranic passage that describes men as the “protectors and keepers of women”. Sadly for Saudi women, the all-male Saudi judiciary is made up entirely of Wahhabi extremists.
Despite having signed various international charters for women's rights, the Saudi government has done little either to modify the system or to enforce the minor reforms it has sponsored.
Theoretically, for instance, women above the age of 45 no longer need a male guardian's permission to travel, yet airport officials routinely demand it anyway. A judge may, in theory, release a woman from the guardianship of an abusive parent or spouse, but only 1-2% of such appeals succeed, says a lawyer in the report. More than half of university students are women, yet they make up a tiny fraction of the workforce. This year will see the first-ever crop of female law graduates, but the justice ministry is unlikely to license any to practise, and judges are even less likely to allow them in their courtrooms.
Liberal-minded Saudis have long criticised such foibles, comparing the kingdom unfavourably to Muslim and Arab neighbours where women are far less restricted. Even those Saudis who uphold their traditions as defending female “honour” may take note of another woman's testimony to Human Rights Watch. A mother tells her daughter why she remarried: “I sold my body so that my paperwork can get taken care of. It tarnished my reputation and dignity, but our affairs are getting resolved.”
Optimists say the mere fact that the Saudi authorities let Human Rights Watch compile its report in situ is progress; four years ago the idea would have been damned as foreign interference. Last month, senior representatives from eight ministries met people from the rights group in Saudi Arabia and politely discussed the report ahead of publication, insisting that they could all “work together”.
The Saudis' officially sanctioned National Human Rights Commission, set up four years ago, privately agreed with many of the recommendations, predicting, among other things, that women would be allowed to drive cars “in the near future”—but such hopeful assurances have been given before. And, though one newspaper, the relatively liberal al-Watan, has aired parts of the report, the Saudi media have generally ignored it.
-- The Economist
This tale, told by a Saudi social worker in a new report on women's rights in the kingdom, is particularly harrowing. Yet it dramatises the more mundane plight of millions of Saudi women who are unable by law to study, work, travel, marry, testify in court, legalise a contract or undergo medical treatment without the assent of a close male relative, be he a father, husband or, less commonly, a grandfather, brother or son.
That Saudi women are banned from driving is well-known. But it is the imposition of male guardianship over adult women, affirms the detailed report by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based monitoring group, that is the biggest obstacle to female advancement.
As the report points out, half the kingdom's citizens are treated in effect like children or the mentally ill for the duration of their lives. Worse, the guardianship policy creates a paradox: women may be held legally responsible for a crime, even though they are not deemed to have full legal capacity.
Oddly enough, there appear to be no written statutes mandating male guardianship for women. In the religiously conservative kingdom, where Muslim sharia law is held to override all other rules, the practice stems instead from extremist Wahhabi interpretations of Muslim scripture, particularly from a Koranic passage that describes men as the “protectors and keepers of women”. Sadly for Saudi women, the all-male Saudi judiciary is made up entirely of Wahhabi extremists.
Despite having signed various international charters for women's rights, the Saudi government has done little either to modify the system or to enforce the minor reforms it has sponsored.
Theoretically, for instance, women above the age of 45 no longer need a male guardian's permission to travel, yet airport officials routinely demand it anyway. A judge may, in theory, release a woman from the guardianship of an abusive parent or spouse, but only 1-2% of such appeals succeed, says a lawyer in the report. More than half of university students are women, yet they make up a tiny fraction of the workforce. This year will see the first-ever crop of female law graduates, but the justice ministry is unlikely to license any to practise, and judges are even less likely to allow them in their courtrooms.
Liberal-minded Saudis have long criticised such foibles, comparing the kingdom unfavourably to Muslim and Arab neighbours where women are far less restricted. Even those Saudis who uphold their traditions as defending female “honour” may take note of another woman's testimony to Human Rights Watch. A mother tells her daughter why she remarried: “I sold my body so that my paperwork can get taken care of. It tarnished my reputation and dignity, but our affairs are getting resolved.”
Optimists say the mere fact that the Saudi authorities let Human Rights Watch compile its report in situ is progress; four years ago the idea would have been damned as foreign interference. Last month, senior representatives from eight ministries met people from the rights group in Saudi Arabia and politely discussed the report ahead of publication, insisting that they could all “work together”.
The Saudis' officially sanctioned National Human Rights Commission, set up four years ago, privately agreed with many of the recommendations, predicting, among other things, that women would be allowed to drive cars “in the near future”—but such hopeful assurances have been given before. And, though one newspaper, the relatively liberal al-Watan, has aired parts of the report, the Saudi media have generally ignored it.
-- The Economist
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Saudi invites HRW team to debate rights issues
JEDDAH -Saudi Arabia, which is strengthening human rights and initiating appropriate reforms and regulations, has invited members of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) on a week-long visit to the Kingdom.
Zuhair Al Harithy, spokesman for the Saudi Human Rights Commission (HRC), said that the HRW has been invited to the Kingdom by the Saudi government to discuss with officials four reports that the body has prepared on the Kingdom's justice system, domestic workers, women and children.
He said that the HRW team has met representatives of four Saudi ministries at the Riyadh headquarters of the HRC since Saturday.
The five-member HRW team includes Farida Deif and Nisha Varia, who are from the HRW's women's rights department and a researcher on children's rights.
Al Harithy said the Saudi government rights body welcomes visits by international human rights organisations.
“It gives us a chance to discuss with them their reports and clarify mistakes, and at the same time learn from what is mentioned in them,” he said.
He said that the HRC's role in these meetings is to act as a mediator. He added that the HRW was now obliged to include the response of Saudi officials in forthcoming reports.
“People reading the reports will be able to make up their own mind after knowing both sides of the story,” he said. Al Harithy further elaborated that ministry officials have been receptive to dialogue “and were open to constructive criticism.”
-- By Habib Shaikh, Khaleej Times
Zuhair Al Harithy, spokesman for the Saudi Human Rights Commission (HRC), said that the HRW has been invited to the Kingdom by the Saudi government to discuss with officials four reports that the body has prepared on the Kingdom's justice system, domestic workers, women and children.
He said that the HRW team has met representatives of four Saudi ministries at the Riyadh headquarters of the HRC since Saturday.
The five-member HRW team includes Farida Deif and Nisha Varia, who are from the HRW's women's rights department and a researcher on children's rights.
Al Harithy said the Saudi government rights body welcomes visits by international human rights organisations.
“It gives us a chance to discuss with them their reports and clarify mistakes, and at the same time learn from what is mentioned in them,” he said.
He said that the HRC's role in these meetings is to act as a mediator. He added that the HRW was now obliged to include the response of Saudi officials in forthcoming reports.
“People reading the reports will be able to make up their own mind after knowing both sides of the story,” he said. Al Harithy further elaborated that ministry officials have been receptive to dialogue “and were open to constructive criticism.”
-- By Habib Shaikh, Khaleej Times
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