Saudi women can now live on their own without requiring the consent of their father or male guardian after a new legal amendment by the Kingdom, Gulf News reported on Wednesday.
\nAccording to the report, Saudi legal authorities removed paragraph (b) from Article 169 of the \u201cLaw of Procedure before Sharia Courts\u201d which stated that an adult single, divorced, or widowed woman would be handed over to her male guardian.
\nInstead, it was replaced with an amendment which states: \u201cAn adult woman has the right to choose where to live. A woman\u2019s guardian can report her only if he has evidence proving she committed a crime.\u201d
\nIt also said, \u201cIf a woman is sentenced to a jail term, she will not be handed over to her guardian after completing her term,\u201d according to Gulf News.
\n\u201cFamilies can no longer file lawsuits against their daughters who choose to live alone,\u201d lawyer Naif Al Mansi said while speaking to the Makkah Newspaper. He added that the courts would not accept cases of this nature anymore.
\nAbuse of male guardianship system
\nSaudi media had first reported in February 2019 that the Kingdom was studying how its male guardianship system was being abused.
\nAt the time, Saudi public prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb had said his office would \u201cspare no efforts in protecting individuals, whether women, children or parents, from unfair treatment by those who abuse guardianship powers\u201d, according to English daily Saudi Gazette.
\nLater the same year in August, the Kingdom had granted permission to Saudi women to travel abroad without approval from a male guardian.
\nThe decision had come after high-profile attempts by women to escape their guardians despite a string of reforms. \u201cA passport will be granted to any Saudi national who submits an application,\u201d said a government ruling published in the official gazette Umm al-Qura.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Saudi women can now live on their own without requiring the consent of their father or male guardian after a new legal amendment by the Kingdom, Gulf News reported on Wednesday. According to the report, Saudi legal authorities removed paragraph (b) from Article 169 of the \u201cLaw of Procedure before Sharia Courts\u201d which stated that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":197222,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-197200","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n