It's a testament to the tenaciousness and fearlessness of Saudi women that women's rights campaigns repeatedly resurface in a country with nearly no freedom of speech to speak of. The odds are stacked against them, with barriers for gender equality arguably higher than in any other country. We think this Cartoon perfectly captures the situation:
Saudi Arabia has long faced criticism about women's rights in the kingdom. Women are discriminated against in nearly all aspects of public and private life, mainly due to a legal code influenced by a fundamentalist interpretation of Sharia law.
Remember the Starbucks branch in Riyadh refused entry to women with a sign that read: “Please no entry for ladies only. Send your driver to order. Thank you”?
With male consent being a prerequisite for almost everything governing women's lives in the kingdom, people are putting a new face to the problem with # StopEnslavingSaudiWomen .
They can't all show their faces but they will make their voices heard
Here's an exhaustive and startling list of prohibitions...
The consequences of "No" are too great to bear...
And Saudi women refuse to be treated like minors...
And criminals...
Because like the rest of us, Saudi women have their own decisions to make, and dreams to pursue
Women in the kingdom, alongside international NGOs, have worked hard to change the laws that govern the lives of millions of women in Saudi Arabia. And there has been progress over the years. There's no denying that.
In 2015, at least 20 women made history when granted seats on municipal councils around the country.
More recently, the Saudi Shura Council reopened the debate around women driving in the kingdom, which ultimately sparked a Twitter campaign under the hashtag # IWillDriveMyCarJune15 discussing the possibility of women getting behind the wheel.
Women in the kingdom were also granted a right to hold a copy of their marriage contract, something that wasn't an option for them before. The Saudi Council also announced an amendment to laws governing travel documents, giving women a right to obtain a passport without male permission.
It's a long road ahead. Until then, Saudi women have our greatest respect.