Qunun’s impassioned cry for help set off a media frenzy, prompting angry denunciations and death threats from many in a kingdom where guardianship laws are still widely supported. But the incident sparked a rare online debate as several young Saudis — including men — implored authorities to dismantle the guardianship system. Seen as a form of gender apartheid, the system means Saudi women are often only as free as their male “guardians” ?- husband, father and other male relatives ?- allow them to be. “But the guardianship system remains repressive and hinders women’s rights and mobility.”Women’s empowerment is a potential social lightning rod in the deeply traditional society of Saudi Arabia. One Saudi woman told AFP how she was stuck in limbo, unable to even renew her passport, when her father, her only male guardian, slipped into a coma after an accident.

Source: The Express Tribune January 09, 2019 13:41 UTC