Saudi Arabia Faulted for Feudal Justice

[ensho]

http://www.ips.org/TV/beijing15/saudi-arabia-faulted-for-feudal-justice/


Against the backdrop of a two-week U.N. meeting on gender empowerment, the London-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has blasted the government of Saudi Arabia for its feudal system of justice where women continue to be victimised because of their gender.

A Saudi court has sentenced a woman, Sawsan Salim, to 300 lashes and 18 months in prison for filing harassment complaints without the required accompaniment by a male guardian.

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“Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia are somewhat worse than in other countries in the region because of the male guardianship system,” Nadya Khalife, HRW’s women’s rights researcher for the Middle East, told IPS.

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“In Saudi Arabia, being a woman going about her legitimate business without a man’s protection is apparently a crime,” Khalife said.

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Khalife told IPS that one topic on which Human Rights Watch has done extensive research is the issue of live-in domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.

She said Saudi Arabia is host to more than 1.5 million women migrant domestic workers from countries such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, and the Philippines.

“Our research has found that the strong restrictions on these women’s freedom of movement, while a problem in many countries, are particularly pronounced in Saudi Arabia,” she said.

She said these domestic workers are often confined to their employer’s house and their isolation in these private homes makes them at risk of physical and sexual abuse.

Saudi Arabia’s government has been extremely poor in its response to such cases.
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come on you cowardly Saudi men, free up the women.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

1. It's partly the West's fault. If we had principles, we'd totally ostracize any country that did that

But of course, it's more important to ostracize Cuba instead. And to get cheap stuff from China. :mad:

[ensho]

2. true

nt

[BolivarianHero]

3. The average American is a moron...

Just think of how much better your country would be if the people who held Saudi Arabia in higher esteem than Venezuela were forced into re-education before being allowed to participate.

[Sultana]

4. What the fuck are you talking about?

Last time I checked Venezuelan women do not need permission from men or male guardians to travel and do things.

[BolivarianHero]

5. Yeah well...

2008 was the first year since Chavez's election that Venezuela received a better favourability score than Saudi Arabia. As far as I'm concerned, preferring the Saudi Family to Hugo Chavez should be treated the same way as opposing equal marriage is. DU is not a place where stupidity is a right.

[LeftishBrit]

10. Who on DU prefers the Saudi Family to Hugo Chavez?

There are a lot of people here who are not special *fans* of Chavez; but that doesn't equate to *preferring* the Saudi royals and government system!

[Sultana]

11. Seriously!

:eyes:

[ensho]

6. you need to read #3 again

nt

[LeftishBrit]

9. Huh? Venezuela is far from a perfect democracy; but at least their laws and punishments aren't

positively mediaeval. And they're not virtually an apartheid state based on gender.

I would MUCH rather live in Venezuela than Saudi Arabia, even if neither would be my top choice. This would be so even if I were male, and ten times more so as I'm female.

[MicaelS]

7. If they did not have the control

Of the lifeblood of the modern world, oil, then, they would treated just like they deserve, which is like a bunch of fucking dark age barbarians.

[ensho]

8. bingo

nt