WHAT DOES ‘THE RIGHT TO EQUALITY’ MEAN? 8 Case Study B: Right to equality before the law
Until recently, it was illegal in Saudi Arabia for women to drive cars, while men were free to do so. The country also has ‘guardianship laws’, which mean women need permission from male relatives before they can do many basic things, such as travel or open a bank account. Saudi men need no permission. Read the article below and answer the questions that follow.
prominent: well known
advocates: people who take action on behalf of others who are less able to act
arrested before lifting of driving ban Seven detainees reportedly include women who have long opposed the kingdom’s conservative rules, including guardianship laws
Agence France-Presse 19 May 2018
Saudi authorities have arrested seven prominent women’s rights advocates, just weeks before the kingdom’s longstanding driving ban on women is set to be lifted, Human Rights Watch said on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia: women’s rights activists
While the reasons behind the arrests are not clear, activists told HRW that in September 2017, ‘the royal court had called the country’s prominent activists ... and warned them not to speak to the media’.
‘The calls were made the same day the authorities announced that they would lift the driving ban on women,’ HRW said.
