Women rights in Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example

Women rights in Saudi Arabia Each and every individual is en d to enjoy his rights and privileges as stipulated in acountry’s constitution. According to the Beijing platform of action adopted in 1995, women rights should be respected and be protected against any form of discrimination and abuse which may hinder their development. In this case it spells out that countries which have ratified the international conventions should take special measures and ensure that their governments take strict measures on the main actors who interfere with the rights of the women. Women bring a lot of contributions in the economy of the country in this case their participation in the development arena will only be enhanced if their rights are protected. Saudi Arabia is one country on focus when it comes to women rights. As an Arab country, women have been subjected to inhuman treatment. The government strictly abides by the strict Islamic laws which have continued to suppress women and placed them in subordinate positions. Despite the country ratification of the convention against torture, their still continues to be high cases of torture experienced by the minorities of which women fall under this category. In Saudi Arabia, women have been subjected to inhuman treatment in several ways. Women in Saudi Arabia are not given the same preferential treatment as that of men. For instance, women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive freely as men do. They are also not allowed to drive cars in men’s presence. It is established that women in Saudi Arabia had once participated in strike that prohibit them from driving but this did not succeed. The ban on women from driving once saw the arrest of Manal al-Sharif who was found driving. This was seen as a way of defying the orders government orders and also lack of respect of the Islamic laws. Women occupancy in high political office is a dream yet to be realized in Saudi Arabia. In this case women are not allowed to hold public offices and they cannot be elected in high political positions. They have no freedom to exercise their democratic right through voting. This is in view that women are weaker sex and so they cannot perform effectively as compared to their male counterparts. King Abdullah once quoted that by the year 2015 women would be allowed to participate in the elections process which is yet to be realized. With these attempts women in Saudi have continued to form organizations so as to address the issue of voting. In 2005 at a municipal elections women attempted to vote but it was established that majority of these women did not have identity cards. In this case the process of involving women to take part in elections has a long way to go for it to be realized (Macfarquhar, 2011). Submission is one important aspect of a Saudi woman, women seen as minors who are supposed to submit themselves to their husbands. According to their custom, a male figure has more authority as compared to the females. In this case the females tend to seek for permission from their husbands before engaging in any activity. In the field of education they have to seek permission first before making a decision to attend schooling. Women in Arabia are also not allowed to travel outside the country without the consent of their husbands. Currently the country introduced a cellphone monitoring system to monitor the movements of women this was put in an attempt to alert men in case their wives attempt to leave the country without their permission. Justice that is administered to children and women in South Arabia is very severe, women and children are normally subjected to detention without trial and they are not informed of the crimes that they have committed. In detention, the women are tortured and majority of them have been killed as a consequence. The penal codes for criminal activities do not consider the biological make up of an individual before administering the punishment. Physical and sexual harassment has raised alerts among the South Arabia women while providing labor. Women in these countries are subjected to work under pathetic conditions and in this case receiving minimum wages. It was reported in one of the estates that the body of a middle aged woman was once found lying in a plantation indicating several physical and sexual injuries all over the body. This means that women had no say when it comes to bargaining of wages and they are not aware of their rights. As a result majority of sexual abuses have continued to take form in this country. Female Labor that has been transported to work in the south have come in face with the injustices that are normally perpetuated on the workers (Kristof & Wudunn, 2009). Ownership of property by the women in Saudi is forbidden. Business premises are not supposed to be operated by women. This means that each and every movement of an individual is closely monitored by the state. In hotels entrants’ women are entitled to produce their identity card and they are not supposed to stay for longer period in the hotels. The Islamic religion also spells out the kind of dressing that women should put on. In this case, women are supposed to wear long dresses and they are also supposed to cover their head not to attract public attention. With the enforcement of protection of the women’s rights as contained in the international conventions such as the Beijing platform for action and CEDAW stipulations, women in Saudi Arabia have not yet succeeded fully enjoy their rights and freedom. Even though the lift on banning women from driving was lifted in Saudi Arabia women in 1990, women in rural areas still maintain their subordinate and submissive position in the society. The continuous and persistence discrimination of women in the field of education and ownership of property in Saudi Arabia has made women in this region lag behind in terms of development. When women rights are put at stake it will be very difficult for a country to achieve its developmental agenda (Melly, 2011). With the abuse and discrimination of women in this region Saudi Arabia has been ranked among one of the bottom last countries in the promotion of gender equality in the region. Saudi Arabia Islamic laws continue to ignore the important role of women in the society and view women as minors who are not supposed to be heard and in this case continue to lower their status in the society. With persistence discrimination and subordination of women in Saudi Arabia women lack self –confidence and esteem. In this case it will be difficult for Saudi Arabia to attain gender equality by the year 2015 as enshrined in the millennium development goals. Works Cited Kristof, N. & Wudunn, S. (2009, August 23). The Women’s Crusade. The New York Times Magazine, Retrieved 25 April 2013from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA206421293&v+2.1&u=mlin_c_t ss&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w Macfarquhar, N. (2011, October 24). Saudi Arabia’s freedom riders: In a country where women’s rights are severely limited, some Saudi women are demanding the right to drive. New York Times Upfront. Retrieved 25 April 2013 from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id+GALE%7CA271973808&v+2.1&u=mlin_c_t ss&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w Melly P. (2011, October 14). First step for women’s rights: king Abdullah’s decree to give women the right to vote in 2015 is ground breaking, but its implementation may be limited by other restrictions imposed on Saudi females. MEED Middle East Economic Digest, 45. Retrieved 25 April 2013 from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALEA272519184&v=2.1&u=mlin_c_tss&it = r&p=GPS&sw=w Read More