#male guardianship in Saudi Arabia

[blairefrances]

I don't talk about politics that much but this has to be said:

If you think that USA is starting to get worse, then just a reminder that America is not the only country that contains bad shit happening. They're other countries that has bad shit happening too, here is a list of other countries that has done bad things:

Afghanistan: Made a law that women cannot speak or say anything.

India: Males can r4pe their wives legally.

Saudi Arabia: Males have a parental guardianship over their wives.

Iran: Women legally need their husbands permission to travel to a foreign country, especially is they are 4busive to them.

Yes, these are all true if you asked me. Lemme know if their is something else I'm missing or I accidentally spread misinformation.

[rapeculturerealities]

Saudi Arabian woman arrested over Twitter and Snapchat posts promoting reform | Saudi Arabia | The Guardian

A young women’s rights activist in Saudi Arabia has been arrested and imprisoned for having Twitter and Snapchat accounts that embraced recent social reforms but also demanded more fundamental rights inside the kingdom, it has emerged.

Manahel al-Otaibi, a 29-year-old certified fitness instructor and artist who frequently promoted female empowerment on her social media accounts, was arrested in November 2022. Among other charges, Otaibi was accused by Saudi authorities of using a hashtag – translated to #societyisready – to call for an end to male guardianship rules.

Otaibi has not yet been convicted or sentenced and remains in detention. But previous similar cases suggest that public demands for fundamental women’s rights – including inheritance rights, and ability to end a marriage by an abusive husband – have been deemed seditious.

The case marks the latest example of Saudis being arrested and imprisoned for using social media accounts to promote reform or challenge Saudi authorities. Salma al-Shehab, another Saudi woman and former PhD student at Leeds University, was sentenced by a terrorism court to more than three decades in jail for having a Twitter account and following and retweeting dissidents and activists.

[galerymod]

Attention, this is not a joke but a killing joke,

Saudi Arabia takes over chairmanship of UN Commission on the Status of Women - human rights activists appalled.

Louis Charbonneau of Human Rights Watch made it clear on X (formerly Twitter): "Saudi Arabia's election to head the UN Commission on the Status of Women shows a shocking disregard for women's rights everywhere." A country that already imprisons women for fighting for women's rights has no right to such a post, Charbonneau continued.

He also criticised the other countries in the Commission for not preventing the change. "If everyone had stood up straight, this wouldn't have happened. But everyone kept quiet."

How can something like this go so wrong?

Abdulaziz Alwasil, Saudi Arabia's UN envoy, will be the chairman. According to the Guardian, none of the envoys from 45 countries raised any objections to his nomination at the CSW's annual meeting. There were also no opposing candidates.

The Philippines actually held the chairmanship for two years. However, other members from Asia had urged the country to hand over the seat after one year. Bangladesh had actually been intended as the successor, but instead Saudi Arabia pushed its way to the top with a lot of lobbying.

Let's put it plainly: everyone has let themselves be bought by a world of greed and corruption! That's what the nice, generous Saudis love. They simply buy influence and culture, football, golf, ...... pukes sorry

Saudi Arabia is trying to polish up its image to the outside world with reforms such as allowing women to drive.

What a charade, makeup on the ugly face of the unjust state.

Hooray, the goat has been declared a garden.

And they are about to prove to the saudis what they think of women's rights.

Completely nothing

Case: Manahil al-Utaibi

Fitness trainer faces eleven years in prison in Saudi Arabia

There have been some makeup reforms in Saudi Arabia recently. The country wants to appear cosmopolitan. At the same time, critics are silenced with long prison sentences. The case of a young fitness trainer is apparently no exception.

According to human rights activists, a female activist in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to eleven years in prison for her choice of clothing and support for women's rights. Manahil al-Utaibi was sentenced in January - more than a year after her arrest - by a special court for terrorism, the organisation Amnesty International announced on Tuesday evening.

The accusations against the 29-year-old fitness trainer related to her clothing and her calls on social networks to end the male guardianship system in the kingdom. She had also published videos of herself without the traditional Abaja overdress.

Saudi Arabia's government confirmed the arrest in December following an enquiry into the case by a UN special rapporteur. Al-Utaibi had been convicted of "terror offences", it said. The country's laws would protect the right to freedom of expression unless actions could "violate or exceed the limits of public order or social norms".

The last sentence immediately made us think of George Orwell! Freedom of expression with limits is good!

Amnesty International and the human rights organisation ALQST urged the kingdom to release Al-Utaibi immediately and unconditionally. According to them, she was physically and psychologically abused in detention following her arrest in November 2022. In addition, she was held in an unknown location for several months.

Well, chairmanship of UN Commission on the Status of Women

How is the status of Al-Utaibi ?

One of the representatives of nice Mohammed bin Salman, who simply had a journalist killed and dismembered in Turkey.

Shit, nobody would believe that in a novel, if you want to write a novel like that at all.

The new human injustice game for women's rights only. Now new from the nice grinning man who rules Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia rights vs women's rights

The New Game

There is only one dice with over all one on it for the women

A stack of cards with a card for women on it say go to jail for a long time and lose your wife and even your bonus human rights.

The Saudis always have one more bonus card when they need it where it says we always win.

A board of politicians, police, special courts, torturers, prison and just an absolute terrorist suspect wife.

Start of the game: The woman catches and does something really stupid she thinks she's women right, and Saudi Arabia wins.

Game idea from the makers I have a journalist killed in Turkey and nobody can catch me : Moammed bin Salman.

[coochiequeens]

maybe the ATP should have offered equal prizes fir men and women players before they tried to help Saudi Arabia "sportswash" it's image

Egyptian tennis pro Mayar Sherif does not pretend to be an expert on the subject of Saudi Arabia’s record on women’s rights, other than to say: “I know it’s not the best.”

What Sherif, who made her Wimbledon debut this week, did say is she thinks it’s possible positive steps can be made in that area if tennis follows the path of golf and other sports by doing business with — and competing in — the kingdom that boasts a $650 billion sovereign wealth fund.

“Women’s rights in the Arabic world need to improve. ... If you start changing this from the outside by bringing in tournaments, and start to create a different kind of atmosphere, that’s going to help,” Sherif said in an interview with The Associated Press at the All England Club.

“If you put women with skirts — and so on and so forth — on court, maybe one young girl from Saudi Arabia sees the matches there and says, ‘I want to play tennis. I want to be like those girls.’ And that’s a way to change a mindset.”

Sherif is not alone in hoping for that sort of transformative effect in a place where rights groups say women continue to face discrimination in most aspects of family life and homosexuality is a major taboo, as it is in most of the rest of the Middle East. Whether engagement will work, as International Tennis Hall of Famer and rights advocate Billie Jean King argues (“I don’t think you really change unless you engage,” she said last week), or this whole phenomenon is an example of “sportswashing,” whereby Saudi Arabia and other countries — think of Russia or China hosting the Olympics, or Qatar hosting the men's soccer World Cup — use fields of play to change their public image, what seems quite clear is that tennis is, indeed, going to be next.

The ATP is working to conclude a multi-year deal to put its Next Gen Finals — the end-of-season event held each November for the tour’s leading young players — in Saudi Arabia. WTA Chairman Steve Simon’s visit to the kingdom with some tour players in February, and his acknowledgement last week that his organization will “continue to have conversations” with the Saudis, make it sound as if the women’s tour is preparing to head there, too.It probably is not a coincidence that, days before Simon’s comments, his tour announced plans to increase payouts at tournaments so that women will make the same as men at more events in the coming years.

The common denominator in all of this?

“Money talks in our world right now,” said 2022 French Open semifinalist Daria Kasatkina, who came out as gay last year.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has enacted wide-ranging social reforms, including granting women the right to drive and largely dismantling male guardianship laws that had allowed husbands and male relatives to control many aspects of women’s lives. Men and women are still required to dress modestly, but the rules have been loosened and the once-feared religious police have been sidelined. Gender segregation in public places has also been eased, with men and women attending movie screenings, concerts and even raves — something unthinkable just a few years ago.

Still, same-sex relations are punishable by death or flogging, though prosecutions are rare. Authorities ban all forms of LGBTQ+ advocacy, even confiscating rainbow-colored toys and clothing.

Thanks at least in part to social media, women in Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere in the Arab world, are aware of the gap between their lives and those of women in less restrictive societies. But Saudi women who seek to carve out some freedom for themselves have been punished. Even as the government has enacted top-down reforms, it has severely cracked down on any form of political dissent, arresting women’s rights activists and other critics and sentencing them to long prison terms and travel bans, sometimes on the basis of a few tweets.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has worked to get himself out of international isolation since the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. He also clearly wants to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy and reduce its reliance on oil. What is not clear is how much any particular sports deal might influence the kingdom’s approaches to women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.

“It would be wrong to not entertain the conversation. You can look at it from negative and positive ways — and I just don’t think things are black and white,” said Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion and a former No. 1-ranked woman in tennis. “We do need financial help to make those (prize money) changes quicker, hopefully. But also look at it from a standpoint of: How can we be helpful? Where can we go to create change?”

No one truly believes that was a part of the equation when the PGA Tour, European Tour and the PIF-backed LIV Golf announced a collaboration last month. Or when Formula One placed a race in Saudi Arabia in 2021. Or when the kingdom bought English soccer club Newcastle United that year.

There will be plenty of interested eyes and ears in tennis paying attention next week when the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations holds a hearing about the proposed collaboration between the PGA Tour, European Tour and the PIF-funded LIV Golf.

Tennis and golf share some key similarities, most notably: The athletes are independent contractors. There aren’t annual salaries in tennis the way there are in team sports such as the NFL, NBA, NHL or Major League Baseball.

“Was just a question of time when (the Saudis) were (going) to start some kind of negotiations or conversations in tennis to try to enter tennis,” said Novak Djokovic, who won his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open last month and now is aiming for No. 24 at Wimbledon.

“We, as an individual sport on a global level, are probably closest to golf,” Djokovic said. “From that example, we can probably learn a lot — some positives, some negatives — and try to structure a deal, if it’s going in that direction, in a proper way that is going to protect the integrity and tradition and history of this sport, but still be able to grow it in such way that it will be appropriate.”

Copyright AP - Associated Press

[canadianabroadvery]

“... To achieve true progress, the Saudi authorities must uphold their obligations under international human rights law by urgently amending the Personal Status Law and repealing provisions that discriminate against women, including those related to the male guardianship system. They must also ensure that women have equal rights and responsibilities with regards to marriage, divorce, custody and guardianship over their children, and inheritance. ...”

[the-foolish-scholar]

Yo soy la mujer con un cara como payaso

In the spring semester of my first year at Miami, I enrolled into a political science class called, "Politics of the Middle East". The course's final required us to write a research proposal and personal statement, adhering to Fulbright's guidelines. I toyed around with different ideas but I ended up proposing a study based in Saudi Arabia meant to explore how the use of contraceptives had changed after the male guardianship laws had been rewritten, most notably allowing women to visit the doctor alone. I worked on the assignment for one night and one night only in the College Democrat's office. Periodically throughout that night I'd leave to get caffeine, something salty, or something sweet. I remember the stairway that I had to walk through to get those things pungently smelt like a mix of frosted sugar cookies and trash. After pulling an all-nighter, I was done and ready to turn in my essays. I ended up getting a 100% on that final, and my professor suggested that I consider actually applying for a Fulbright.

When I came back to Miami as a sophomore, I didn't really think of Fulbright that much. I was too focused on all the wrong things. I was still involved in politics and I dedicated most of my time and energy to being Membership Director for MUCD and later as the Campus Point for the Bernie campaign. On top of that, I was also busy with ADPi, the Urban Cohort, and my internship with the IRLC. Balancing all of that, along with a social life and academics proved to be tough. I took the picture below when I was at my busiest and most stressed point of the spring semester, because how tough could it really be to juggle one more thing? I thought that applying for a Fulbright wouldn't be that hard, since I got an A on my mock proposal/personal statement anyway.

About a year after I took that picture, I stepped back from politics and I got serious about applying. I made multiple meetings with the Fulbright Program Advisor and discussed potential research projects. I struggled to come up with a feasible project and became close to quitting. But then the most strange and vivid dream and I woke up knowing what I needed to do; I needed to study how one's social identities impacted their faith in a higher power. While working a full time job in Cincinnati at the Peaslee Neighborhood Center in the summer, I drafted my grant proposal and personal statement. I spent hours on the second floor of King Library every day after work, usually staying until close. When I wasn't writing or rewriting, I was in meetings receiving input to sharpen my application.

It all became very real when I had reached the on-campus deadline. I submitted my project and awaited my review from the campus committee. About two weeks after my submission, I had a meeting with the committee. I was pressed on my knowledge of current events in El Salvador as well as what I intended to research. One question about American values threw me off and I thought I had ruined everything but I was able to craft a clever response after a brief pause. I took the commentary the commission provided me with to heart and I made adjustments to my project, submitting for real about a week later. I made the meme above in hopes that I would one day get to post it along with a letter stating that I had won.

And then, the waiting game began. I remained calm for the most part. In January I was very fortunate to have a trip to El Salvador paid for by the Western Program at Miami University. I was on a delegation with El Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad in honor of Rutilio Grande while I was there. One day we were visiting the cathedral and I found myself alone in the basement in front of Saint Romero's grave. For some reason, I felt compelled for the first time in nearly a decade to pray, and I prayed that I would win. Shortly after I arrived back in the United States, my prayer was somewhat answered, as I found out that I had advanced as a semi-finalist in the competition.

The nerves began to kick in after I had found out I was a semi-finalist. I applied knowing how hard it would be to win and I honestly never thought that I'd make it as far as I had. As people in the Slack began to announce that they had become finalists, I became a nervous wreck. I would reread my application over and over, in some sort of attempt to prophesize if I'd win or lose. The days leading up to my application notification were the most bizarre of all. My thoughts screamed that I'd be a failure but I felt this stillness inside of me that assured me everything would work out. I felt crazy for thinking I could be of the 20% who applied and won. I was never a 'good' student after all—just ask the people who knew me in high school. The night before I found out, I contemplated how I'd move forward if were to lose. I went to bed deciding to believe that winning was within reach, because it just felt good to believe in myself. Again, I had an intense dream, much more intense than the one I had prior. I woke up feeling as if I had stayed awake all night, despite getting a full eight hours of sleep. And then my phone pinged, I received an email letting me know my decision letter had been uploaded to the portal. And just like that, my dream came true.

Today is my first day in El Salvador as a Fulbrighter. I am looking forward to all that I will experience in these next ten months.

I could not have gotten here if it weren't for my community. I am eternally grateful to all of you who gave me edits, wrote me letters, talked me through ideas, and most of all, believed in me.

All posts about my work and my time here will be uploaded to this blog, https://the-foolish-scholar.tumblr.com (:

[capitalinternationalgroup]

Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia: A New Era of Growth and Empowerment

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed a significant transformation in its social, economic, and legal landscape, creating exciting opportunities for women entrepreneurs. With the government's commitment to empowering women under Vision 2030, Saudi women now have access to unprecedented resources, support, and freedom to start and grow businesses in various sectors.

At Capital International Group, we provide business setup services in Saudi Arabia, helping aspiring entrepreneurs navigate the legal and procedural aspects of starting a business. In this blog, we’ll explore the opportunities available for women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia and how they can tap into the growing business ecosystem.

1. Supportive Government Policies and Reforms

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is designed to diversify the economy and reduce its reliance on oil, which includes promoting entrepreneurship, particularly for women. Over the past few years, numerous reforms have been introduced to encourage female participation in the workforce and business ownership. Notable initiatives include:

Easing business registration processes: Women can now register and manage their businesses without needing male guardianship, thanks to simplified regulations.

Financial grants and loans: Programs like the Social Development Bank (SDB) offer financial support to women entrepreneurs, making capital more accessible.

Female entrepreneurship programs: Organizations like Monsha’at (the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises) offer mentorship, training, and resources specifically aimed at women entrepreneurs.

2. Diverse Sectors with High Growth Potential

Women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia can explore a wide range of industries with high growth potential, including:

E-commerce: With the rapid growth of online shopping in the Kingdom, women can tap into e-commerce by creating platforms or businesses that cater to local and international markets.

Technology: Tech startups are on the rise in Saudi Arabia, with women increasingly leading innovative solutions in fintech, app development, and IT services.

Health and Wellness: The health and wellness industry is booming, and women entrepreneurs can capitalize on sectors such as fitness, nutrition, mental health services, and wellness centers.

Education: Private tutoring services, language schools, and vocational training centers for women are in high demand and represent significant entrepreneurial opportunities.

3. Women-Exclusive Entrepreneurial Spaces

One of the unique advantages for women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia is the development of women-exclusive business incubators and coworking spaces. These spaces provide female entrepreneurs with a supportive environment to collaborate, network, and access resources tailored to their needs. Initiatives like the Wusool Program and Qiyadat Global Women Leadership Program offer exclusive training and support for Saudi women to strengthen their leadership and entrepreneurial skills.

4. Networking and Mentorship Opportunities

As women entrepreneurship continues to rise in Saudi Arabia, there are numerous platforms and events that promote networking and collaboration among women in business. Programs such as Glowork and Jada offer mentorship, networking, and funding opportunities specifically for women. These initiatives create a sense of community among female entrepreneurs, providing guidance and support through various stages of business development.

5. Increased Access to Global Markets

Saudi women entrepreneurs can now leverage global partnerships and markets more easily than ever before. With the Kingdom's enhanced business environment and its strategic location connecting three continents, women-led businesses can explore export opportunities and international collaborations. The growth of digital marketing, online platforms, and logistics services also facilitates international business operations.

How Capital International Group Can Help Women Entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia

At Capital International Group, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities women entrepreneurs face. Our business setup services in Saudi Arabia are designed to help women confidently navigate the process of starting and growing their businesses. From securing the necessary licenses to understanding market opportunities, we are here to support every step of the entrepreneurial journey.

Whether you’re interested in launching a tech startup, opening a boutique, or exploring new markets, Capital International Group can help turn your vision into reality. With our expertise in Saudi business regulations and our commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs, we provide the tools and knowledge needed to succeed.

Conclusion

As Saudi Arabia continues to evolve, the opportunities for women entrepreneurs are limitless. With supportive policies, diverse sectors to explore, and a growing ecosystem of mentorship and resources, now is the perfect time for women to take the leap into entrepreneurship. At Capital International Group, we are here to assist you in navigating the exciting journey of starting and growing a business in Saudi Arabia.

For more information on how we can help you with business setup in Saudi Arabia, visit our website at setupsaudibusiness.com or contact us today to get started on your entrepreneurial journey.

[getvisaservice]

Most Dangerous Countries for Women 2024 | Get Visa Services

Visit Blogger:- https://getvisaservices01.blogspot.com/2024/08/most-dangerous-countries-for-women-2024.html

Discover the "Most Dangerous Countries for Women 2024," highlighting nations with alarming safety risks for women. Gain crucial insights into the challenges faced and find out how to navigate these regions safely. Secure your visa with our expert services, ensuring a smooth and stress-free travel experience https://getvisaservices.in/most-dangerous-countries-for-women-2024/

5 Perilous Nations Where Women Face Unsettling Challenges 

In the technological supremacy & cultural inclusion era, it’s disheartening that there still are countries where women are not safe. At all! Women in such countries are quite prone to being exploited, trafficked, and abused. 

We do have satisfactory traces of progress in women’s safety in some parts of the globe. However, in the most dangerous country for female 2024, it becomes critical to shed light on places where women still live in the dark & misery. 

Hence, in this blog, we’ll list the 5 most dangerous countries where women’s well-being continues to be at risk

5 Perilous Nations Where Women Face Unsettling Challenges 

In the technological supremacy & cultural inclusion era, it’s disheartening that there still are countries where women are not safe. At all! Women in such countries are quite prone to being exploited, trafficked, and abused. 

We do have satisfactory traces of progress in women’s safety in some parts of the globe. However, in the most dangerous country for female 2024, it becomes critical to shed light on places where women still live in the dark & misery. 

Hence, in this blog, we’ll list the 5 most dangerous countries where women’s well-being continues to be at risk.  

5 Most Unsafe Countries for Women 2024

1. Afghanistan

Post the international force’s withdrawal, the situation continues to aggravate. This, as a result, has created an uncertain political & social environment, especially for women. 

Increased violence & oppression of women

Women are deprived of the right to education

Restrictions on women’s employment & right to movement

Domestic & sexual abuse

Mass trafficking

2. Democratic Republic of Congo

This is one of the least safe countries for women in 2023. The situation is worsening daily due to the present conflict and displacement in the DRC. Women here majorly are becoming the prey of sexual violence. 

Rise in forced marriage & rape cases 

Lack of justice & healthcare system for the survivors 

Abduction cases are increasing too

Child marriages are quite prevalent 

3. Saudi Arabia

Women’s living condition in this country is that of an oppressed one. While several reformative measures were initiated, their impact is limited just to the papers. 

Excessive male guardianship limits autonomy 

No say in decision-making

Taking permission from a male relative to participate in certain activities is a must

Women’s rights activities often face persecution & find themselves behind bars for advocating gender equality

4. Syria

The prolonged protests & conflicts have turned this beautiful & once popular tourist destination into a legit torment. Especially for women, the situation is even worse. They bear the brunt of this dire humanitarian crisis. 

The ever-increasing prevalence of sexual violence

Merciless environment for women

Forced marriages 

Trafficking & exploitation 

5. Somalia

This is yet another infamous country that is not at all safe for women. Such a deteriorating condition is the result of prolonged conflict among the groups. Subsequently, this has led to political instability & economic downfall. And a group most suffered from these crises are women. 

Prolonged conflict and instability in Somalia have severely impacted women’s safety and rights.

The gender-based violence ratio is high

Women from marginalized communities are the common prey of rape and genital mutilation.

Political instability has prevented the drafting of any rights for women

Several reports raise the issue of high maternal mortality rates, further compounding the existing challenges 

Poor healthcare infrastructure

Limited access to education 

2 Other unsafe countries for women

1. Bahrain:

With 6th place in terms of gender gap, Bahrain is one of the least safe countries for women. Poor public infra including poor street safety triggers the crime rates against women. 

Moreover, this unsafe country in the world for women ranks 4 in terms of legal discrimination. What’s further disheartening is that the local legal system here protects the rapists if they agree to marry the survivor. 

2. Tunisia: 

This too is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for female. This country ranks 9th in terms of poor sex ratio. The legal system does exist but is for no good because of the discrimination against women. 

Additionally, as per data, near about 47% of Tunisian women have already been affected by domestic violence. 

Final Thoughts 

These alarming aggravations are not fruitful for any society in any way. “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.” Quoted by B.R. Ambedkar, the world today needs to extract the exact meaning of this line. 

Moreover, the SDGs set by the UN focus on “women’s condition” as a crucial parameter to measure a country’s NDP. The continued need for women’s rights advocacy & reform is the need of the hour. 

We, however, will have to be the change we wish to see in the world. While these countries are in dire need of revolution to lift women’s misery, we can do our parts as well. This begins with being mindful of our surroundings, and the way we treat women. 

Moreover, it continues by breaking the nonsensical gender-based stereotype. Only then we can work towards progressing the lives of women globally. 

Thanks Get visa services Team

[jhavelikes]

Al-Otaibi, a certified fitness instructor and artist who frequently promoted female empowerment on her social media accounts, was arrested in November 2022. Among other charges, Otaibi was accused by Saudi authorities of using a hashtag – translated to #societyisready – to call for an end to male guardianship rules. Her sister, Fouz al-Otaibi was also accused of not wearing decent clothing but was able to flee Saudi Arabia before her arrest. Another sister, Maryam, is a known women’s rights advocate who was detained, held, and eventually released in 2017 for protesting guardianship rules. Amnesty International and ALQST, a rights group, called on Saudi authorities to immediately and unconditionally release al-Otaibi and said her imprisonment “directly contradicts authorities’ narrative of reform and women’s empowerment”.

Saudi Arabia activist sentenced to 11 years in prison for ‘support’ of women’s rights | Saudi Arabia | The Guardian

[whyyoualwayssoradical]

Women’s tennis has advocated for women’s rights since before Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the “battle of the sexes” 50 years ago. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) was a prime mover behind Title IX, the U.S. law that gave millions of women and girls equal opportunities in sport and education.

Despite this legacy, management of the WTA announced this week that the women’s flagship finals are being awarded to Saudi Arabia for the next three years.

The idea that women’s tennis would go to repressive Saudi Arabia, where the male guardianship system denies women basic human rights, is an offense to the pioneers who made women’s tennis popular. Indeed, this award to Saudi Arabia is over the public objections of Grand Slam women’s champions Chrissie Evert and Martina Navratilova, who wrote, “We did not help build women’s tennis for it to be exploited by Saudi Arabia.” They had called on Steve Simon, the executive who runs the WTA, to turn down hosting the women’s finals in the oil-rich autocracy until there are measurable improvements for women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the kingdom. Their voices were overruled.

This makes women’s tennis the latest victim of Saudi sportswashing—the use of popular sports to enhance an otherwise poor image of the country.

In February, the men’s Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the country’s $750 billion sovereign wealth fund, announced a “multi-year strategic partnership.” Saudi Arabia hosted the men’s finals for 21 and under players in December. At the Australian Open in January, men’s champion Rafael Nadal announced that he would serve as an “ambassador” for the Saudi Tennis Federation.

[dailyksa]

Who Can Marry Saudi Woman in Saudi Arabia Complete Guide

Marrying a Saudi woman in Saudi Arabia can be a beautiful and fulfilling experience, but guiding the cultural and legal nuances can be daunting. This complete guide aims to answer your questions and provide the essential information to understand who can marry Saudi women in Saudi Arabia. Who Can Marry Saudi Woman in Saudi Arabia Complete Guide

Understanding the Guardianship System

Saudi Arabia attaches to a male guardianship system, where women require the consent of a male guardian for various life decisions, including marriage. This guardian is typically the father, brother, or another close male relative. While significant reforms made in recent years, understanding this system is crucial.

Traditionally, the guardian's approval is essential for a Saudi woman to enter into a marriage. Typically, the guardian is a male relative, often the father, whose consent is desired before the marriage is finalized.https://dailyksa.net/who-can-marry-saudi-woman-in-saudi-arabia-complete-guide/

[terfmin]

If people actually read the book!! The handmaid's tale discusses cashless societies could be used specifically as a tool of control, especially for women. The government/banks know who exactly who is a woman, and in the book the state were able to freeze women's bank accounts and transfer funds to male kin (e.g husbands, fathers and the state in cases where these were not there iirc).

At the time Atwood wrote the book, the equal credit act allowing women to apply for credit without a male guarantor was only 10 years old, it was incredibly new and fragile, and the technology to implement this kind of restriction has only improved over time.

For example, the social credit system is used in China gives the state the ability to restrict the movements of people with negative credit scores; in Saudi Arabia, women under the guardianship system are treated as minors, and are unable to get married or divorced etc without male approval. The Absher app also allows men to control how women under their guardianship can travel in real time, and notifies them when they're about go leave the country.

The implications of cashless society and increasing digitalisation for the safety and freedom of women and other minorities cannot be overstated. No cash means a woman in a domestic abuse situation won't be able to discretely save money to leave her abuser. It means women aren't able to organise and pool resources to help each other. It means feminist activists can be more easily cracked down on, which is exactly what happened in China and Saudi Arabia.

A lot of the data to implement these systems of control already exists, however privacy laws and the anonymity that cash allows do a lot to balance this out. Preserving these are extremely feminist concerns.

HERES WHAT NO CASH ACTUALLY MEANS

A cashless society means no cash. Zero. It doesn’t mean mostly cashless and you can still use a ‘wee bit of cash here & there’. Cashless means fully digital, fully traceable, fully controlled. I think those who support a cashless society aren’t fully aware of what they are asking for. A cashless society means:

* If you are struggling with your mortgage on a particular month, you can’t do an odd job to get you through.

* Your child can’t go & help the local farmer to earn a bit of summer cash.

* No more cash slipped into the hands of a child as a good luck charm or from their grandparent when going on holidays.

* No more money in birthday cards.

* No more piggy banks for your child to collect pocket money & to learn about the value of earning.

* No more cash for a rainy day fund or for that something special you have been putting £20 a week away for.

* No more fivers on the side because your wages barely cover the bills or put food on the table.

* No more charity collections.

* No more selling bits & pieces from your home that you no longer want/need for a bit of cash in return.

* No more cash gifts from relatives or loved ones.

What a cashless society does guarantee:

* Banks have full control of every single penny you own.

* Every transaction you make is recorded.

* All your movements & actions are traceable.

* Access to your money can be blocked at the click of a button when/if banks need ‘clarification’ from you which will take about 3 weeks, a thousand questions answered & five thousand passwords.

* You will have no choice but to declare & be taxed on every pound in your possession.

* The government WILL decide what you can & cannot purchase.

* If your transactions are deemed in any way questionable, by those who create the questions, your money will be frozen, ‘for your own good’.

I could write lists for 5 days & still not finish explaining how utterly awful a cashless society would be, for everyone. Even for the goody two shoes who wouldn’t dream of not declaring £500. Forget about cash being dirty. Stop being so easily led. Cash has been around for a very, very, very long time & it gives you control ove https://www.instagram.com/p/CCqbpY_hVlb/?igshid=lidmavfm877b

[garudabluffs]

“Money Has Won”: Saudi Rights Activist Says PGA-LIV Golf Merger Gives MBS More Power & Influence

JUN 14, 2023 “sportswashing” to gain cultural and corporate influence 

AMY GOODMAN: Lina, can you talk about your sister, what’s happened to her, where she is now, if she’s — and then talk about the broader issue of women’s rights and human rights in Saudi Arabia?

LINA ALHATHLOUL: Yes. Thank you, Amy. So, my sister, Loujain Alhathloul, was — unfortunately, she can’t be anymore a human rights activist. She was the leader of the Women to Drive campaign in Saudi Arabia. So, before 2018, women could not drive in Saudi Arabia. And they were, and they still are, subjected to the male guardianship system, meaning that us, as Saudi women, we are considered as minors ’til the end of our lives. Every important decision of our life has to be approved by our male guardian, who is our father. Then, when we get married, it is our husband. And sometimes it even becomes our son. So, in that context, my sister was arrested many times, because she was the leader of the Women to Drive campaign and also campaigned against the male guardianship system.

"So, she was then sentenced to five years and eight months, but released on probation in February 2021. She is now on a travel ban, meaning that she cannot leave Saudi Arabia. And she lives — I don’t want to put words in her mouth, but this is the situation she has been targeted with Pegasus after her release, which is an Israeli spyware, a zero-click Israeli spyware, meaning that you don’t have to click anything on your phone, and you are still hacked, and they can see everything on your phone. So, she’s been surveilled. She feels — you know, of course, she feels surveilled. And what is important to note is that my whole family is on a travel ban, meaning that there are threats of arrest and that they’re trying to silence even the relatives of activists."

LISTEN READ MORE Transcript https://www.democracynow.org/2023/6/14/saudi_arabia_lina_alhathloul

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

"The man can be known by how covered his women are, and who cannot control her in the street can't control her at home."

“hIjAb iS eMp0wEr1nG!1!”

Hijab is only regarded as “empowering” by people who have the freedom and right to take it off.

[coochiequeens]

NEWSER) – Saudi Arabia has expanded the rights of women, by changing a law so that they no longer need the approval of a male guardian to live alone. A provision has been removed from the guardianship laws that said an adult woman who is single, divorced, or widowed is to be turned over to a male, Gulf News reports. The new wording says: "An adult woman has the right to choose where to live. A woman's guardian can report her only if he has evidence proving she committed a crime." And women who are sentenced to jail will no longer be turned over to a male guardian when they're released. International human rights groups had denounced the old restrictions, per the Independent. Courts won't take up cases involving a family's opposition to a woman's decision, per Dawn.

"Families can no longer file lawsuits against their daughters who choose to live alone," a lawyer said. An "absenteeism" law allowed parents to file a police report if a woman had left or was living independently without a guardian's permission. Mariam Al Otaibi, 32, a writer, won a three-year court fight last year over her family's lawsuit filed under the "absenteeism" law. Her lawyer said the historic decision means it's not a crime for a woman to live alone. Human rights groups have said progress is limited, saying activists are still silenced. "The world is being told that Saudi Arabia is modernising on women’s rights," a Human Rights Watch researcher wrote last year. "But the reality is that with no organized women's rights movement or environment in which women can safely and openly demand their rights, there is little room for further advances." (An activist was freed earlier this year after being caught behind the wheel.)

[newstfionline]

Young or Old, Saudi Women Live Under Male Relatives’ Control

AP, May 19, 2017

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--First she’s in the hands of her father, then she moves to her husband. Often, she ends up under the power of her son.

From childhood through adulthood into old age, every Saudi woman passes from the control of one legal guardian to another, a male relative whose decisions or whims can determine the course of her life.

Under Saudi law, the guardian’s permission is required for a woman to get a passport, to travel abroad or to marry. It is also often demanded whenever a woman tries to do any number of things, including rent an apartment, buy a car, undergo a medical procedure or take a job. As a result, women are consigned to the legal status of minors.

Saudi Arabia’s ban on women driving is what often grabs the most attention, but rights advocates say guardianship laws are the factor that most powerfully enshrines inequality for women. President Donald Trump heads to Saudi Arabia this weekend to cement ties with the deeply conservative kingdom.

Guardianship was a major reason for the outrage when Saudi Arabia last month was elected to a U.N. commission tasked with promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. The kingdom was nominated to the post by the Asia-Pacific region, and normally nominees are rubber-stamped automatically. In this case, the U.S. requested a secret ballot vote, a move seen as a symbolic objection, though the kingdom won with 47 out of 54 votes.

The Geneva-based rights group UN Watch denounced the acceptance of Saudi Arabia on the commission, calling it the “world’s leading oppressor of women.”

Saudi law is based on one of the most conservative interpretations of Islamic Shariah, and no other Muslim countries enforce such strict guardianship measures.

The Associated Press spoke with three generations of women from a single family about its impact on their lives:

THE GRANDMOTHER: Naila Mohammed Saleh Nasief, an outspoken 96-year-old, finds it frustrating and humorous that her son has been her guardian for the past three decades.

“I need his permission for everything,” she said. “My son, who I gave birth to and raised and made a man. Does this make sense?”

Her father, who worked in the Finance Ministry, and her husband, a doctor who at one time served as health minister, were both open-minded men and gave her freedom of choice, she said. She raised her sons and daughters as equals. Breaking with another cultural norm, Nasief has never worn the black face veil, known as the niqab, which most Saudi women don.

Since her father and husband’s deaths, her eldest son has also been accommodating.

But that doesn’t mean things are easy.

In one case, in her 60s, she went to the airport to fly to the United States. But she had forgotten the piece of paper from her son granting her permission to travel. Her brother, his children, and her son-in-law and grandchildren were all flying with her--but not her son.

So airport officials barred her from boarding the plane. She and her 18 relatives had to wait for five hours for someone to bring the document to the airport. Nowadays, guardians can give travel permissions electronically.

“I felt I am not human,” she said of the experience.

The system leaves women dependent on the goodwill of their male relatives--fathers, husbands or sons, or in some cases a brother or uncle. Guardians are free to refuse permission. Women have complained of being abused, forced to hand over salaries to their guardians, barred from marriage or forced into unwanted marriages. Women who flee abusive homes can be imprisoned or put in a shelter, requiring the consent of her guardian to leave.

Nasief said the rules aim to keep women at home and quiet. She lamented that some women support the system, seeing it as protecting them.

“I don’t think these laws will change, not even in 50 years, because people’s minds are closed,” she said. “If you hear people talking, they say it’s better for men to rule us than to be out in the wild.”

“Religion doesn’t say to do this,” she said. “There isn’t anything in the Quran that says a man rules over women.”

THE MOTHER: Sahar Nasief, Naila’s daughter, was 53 when her son became her guardian.

When she divorced her husband, her guardianship was transferred back to her father, Hassan Nasief. After he died, her three sons joked over who would be responsible for their mother, she says. In the end, she picked her middle son, then 32.

She had to get his consent when she rented an apartment and when she bought a car. The dealer even demanded he co-sign on the car, even though Nasief, a now 63-year-old retired university professor, bought the car with her money.

In 2013, when she defied the ban on women driving and got behind the wheel of car as part of a nationwide movement to push for women’s rights, she was pulled over by police, who wouldn’t release her until her son signed a pledge vowing his mother would never drive again.

When raising her three daughters, she taught them never “to take any nonsense from anyone” and made sure not to teach them “this nonsense about ‘you have to obey your husband for life’.”

“My daughters and sons were raised like this, as equals sharing and exchanging roles,” Nasief said.

Nasief says guardianship translates into “ownership” of women.

THE DAUGHTER: Lubna Jamjoom, Sahar’s daughter, is a 40-year-old interior designer with three children. But she needed her husband to accompany her to the bank in order for her to open an account for her children and she needed him to get her children passports.

“It doesn’t make sense that he can decide these things for me as an adult and the mother of his children,” she said.

Unlike many Saudi women, Jamjoom knew her husband before marrying him. That was important for her, knowing how much sway he would have over her life. “Even if the guy is kind or good, he can make a woman’s life difficult,” she said.

She has access to the family’s identity book, an official document listing the parents’ and children’s names. It is issued only to the father, and women whose husbands keep hold on it have no way to prove their relationship with their children and so, for example, can’t enroll them in school without the father’s consent. It was only last year that widowed and divorced women could receive the book.

Jamjoom said she wants her daughter to grow up and be able to make their own decisions instead of relying on a man for nearly everything.

“This is the right God gave us,” she said. “We are born free.”