On Tuesday September 26th, Saudi Arabia, announced in a policy change that it will allow women to drive. However, this move, broadcast simultaneously on state television and in Washington D.C. will not take effect until June of 2018. While several United Nations Human Rights Experts welcomed the announcement and praised the activists who helped bring[…]
27
Sep
Sep
On Tuesday 26 September 2017, Saudi Arabia announced that it would allow women to drive for the first time in the history of the kingdom. The policy change, which was announced over state television, will reportedly go into effect in June 2018. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) calls on Saudi Arabia[…]
13
Jul
Jul
On Tuesday 11 July, the Saudi Ministry of Education (MoE) announced that schools will provide physical education classes to girls for the first time in the kingdom’s history. This development marks a rare, if slight loosening of the restrictions placed on women in one of the world’s most restrictive societies. The decision is part of[…]
16
Jun
Jun
On June 8, Saudi women’s rights activist Manal al Sharif gave an interview with NPR and the next day she wrote an op-ed for the New York Times. In both pieces, she discusses how women cannot drive in the kingdom, the guardianship system that underpins such restrictions, and her activism challenging the societal norm. She[…]
14
Jul
Jul
The participation of Saudi men and women in the 2011 Arab Spring protests placed significant pressure on the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia to make social, political, and economic reforms. In particular, women’s rights activists leveraged the influence of social media on the Arab Spring to bring attention to the lack of women’s rights granted by the[…]
