Women's rights in Saudi Arabia

Her post was with no comment on her “guardianship” case

Saudi Arabia has become yet another country that has banned early marriages after years of debate. The minimum legal age for marriage is now 18, the Saudi newspaper Saudi Gazette reported, quoted by RIA Novosti.

Justice Minister Walid Al-Samani has already sent a new law to all local courts.

According to UNICEF, 39,000 children marry daily in the world.

Saudi Arabia on Aug. 2 published new laws that loosen restrictions on women by allowing all citizens — women and men alike — to apply for a passport and travel freely, ending a long-standing guardianship policy that had controlled women's freedom of movement.

A new law gives passports to any Saudi over 21 years of age.

Saudi Arabia has allowed women to travel without the need of permission by a spouse or relative. This is yet another solution that weakens the current system of male custody of women, for which the country has been criticized abroad.

Saudi women will be allowed to start driving in the kingdom from June 24, the General Department of Traffic Director General Mohammed al-Bassami said on May 8.     

Women in Saudi Arabia need not wear headcover or the black abaya - the loose-fitting, full-length robes symbolic of Islamic piety - as long as their attire is "decent and respectful", the kingdom's reform-minded crown prince said.

Hundreds of participants took part in the first women's marathon in Saudi Arabia, Arabian Business reported, quoted by BGNES.

The marathon was held in the Al Aqsa area. Many of the participants were in traditional clothing. The next women's marathon is scheduled for April 6 in Mecca.

Women in Saudi Arabia can now start their own businesses without the consent of a husband or relative, after the kingdom seeks to expand the rapidly growing private sector, according to France press.

The Riyadh Prosecutor's Office said that for the first time they wanted to hire Saudi women to work at a time when Saudi Arabia is seeking to favor women's employment as part of a plan for economic and social reform.

"There are available positions for women in the prosecution service as lieutenant-investigator," the Prosecutor General's office said.

Saudi Arabian women will be able to drive trucks and motorcycles, officials have said three months after the kingdom announced a historic decision to end a ban on women driving.