Discrimen de la mujer de arabia

The kingdom of perpetual childhood
By Jim Lobe

WASHINGTON, April 22 (IPS) - The laws and customs of Saudi Arabia to guarantee treatment of women "perpetual minors", according to human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW).

A study of HRW points out that all women, regardless of age, must have a male guardian, who may be your parent, spouse or a child, by authorizing them toperform activities such as travel abroad or receive medical attention.

This deprives them of their fundamental rights and hinders their participation in public life in this country, which signed the 2000 United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, says HRW.

"The Saudi government sacrifices basic human rights to maintain male control over women,"said Farida Deif, HRW researcher on women's issues in the Middle East.

"Saudi women can not progress until the government ends the abuses that caused this misguided policy," he added.

Saudi Arabia holds an ultraconservative interpretation of Islam, which is the only country that bans women from driving.

HRW's research, based on interviews with 109 Saudi women of all social sectors,stresses that legal discrimination extends even to the authority over their own children.

Women can not open a bank account for your children enroll in school or obtain information on student performance without the permission of a parent, even if the couple is divorced.

The Shariah (Islamic law) is the cornerstone of the law of the country, according to her interpretation of the religioushierarchy, deeply conservative, with the royal family, whom HRW responsible for maintaining tight control of men over women .

Male mentoring is based on a passage from the Koran, which states that "men are the protectors and providers for women, because God has given the one more (strength) than to them and because they support them with their media."

According to the interpretation given tothis verse, the Saudi religious establishment, with government support, adult women should be treated from the point of view as if they were legal minors who have little or no choice about their lives and their welfare, according to HRW.

The study cites the case of a 40 year old woman, divorced her husband and whose father had died, who had to seek permission from his son 23 years to travelabroad.

The male guardian's permission is also necessary for women to work, study or marry, says HRW.

The power given to these "custodians" create conditions for women are victims of abuse and family violence. Even if they are found responsible for such abuse, it is almost impossible to cancel or transfer the guardianship, the report warns.

Also, women must overcome great obstacles tostart a lawsuit or be heard in court without a legal guardian. In some cases must be submitted accompanied by a male relative, who must confirm your identity.

In contrast to this lack of control over their lives, women are generally attributable to acts committed after reaching puberty.

In cases where the consent of the guardian is not explicitly required, or where it has apparently beengranted in accordance with government guidelines, some officials insist demand it, according to HRW.

Despite an Interior Ministry decision allowing women over 45 years travel abroad without permission, most airport employees still require written evidence that they have permission from their tutor, the study said.

Some hospitals ask the permission of the guardian so that women can receivecertain treatments or to be discharged, according to health professionals and women interviewed by HRW.

The Saudi religious establishment has also adopted the strictest interpretation of the provisions of the Koran on gender segregation, reinforced by the governmental Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in all workplaces, with the exception of hospitals.

In...