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Saudi Arabia Ends Restrictions On Women Traveling

Women in Saudi Arabia will now be able to apply for passports and travel abroad without permission from male guardians, the Saudi government announced early Friday.

Under the new law, any citizen 21 or older can apply for a passport and travel outside of the country without prior consent. Previously, a woman had to receive approval from their husband, father, son, or another male relative to obtain a passport or travel outside of the kingdom. Women can also now register marriages, divorces, and births, and receive official family documents.

For women trying to escape from domestic violence, the rules made it extremely difficult and dangerous to flee the country. Those who were able to get out said they hacked into phones and changed the settings on a government app that grants women permission to leave, The Associated Press reported. 

According to the report, the changes are a potential game-changer for Saudi women’s rights in the kingdom. The legal system has long been criticized because it treated women as minors throughout their adult lives, requiring they have a man’s consent to obtain a passport or travel abroad. Often a woman’s male guardian is her father or husband and in some cases a woman’s own son.

The changes were widely celebrated by Saudis on Twitter, including posting memes showing people dashing to the airport with luggage and others hailing the 33-year-old crown prince believed to be the force behind these moves. But the changes also drew backlash from conservatives, who posted clips of senior Saudi clerics in past years arguing in favor of guardianship laws.

Other changes issued in the decrees allow women to register a marriage, divorce or child’s birth and to be issued official family documents. It also stipulates that a father or mother can be legal guardians of children.

Saudi Arabia Ends Restrictions On Women Traveling

The changes are a potential game-changer for Saudi women’s rights in the kingdom.

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Women in Saudi Arabia will now be able to apply for passports and travel abroad without permission from male guardians, the Saudi government announced early Friday.

Under the new law, any citizen 21 or older can apply for a passport and travel outside of the country without prior consent. Previously, a woman had to receive approval from their husband, father, son, or another male relative to obtain a passport or travel outside of the kingdom. Women can also now register marriages, divorces, and births, and receive official family documents.

For women trying to escape from domestic violence, the rules made it extremely difficult and dangerous to flee the country. Those who were able to get out said they hacked into phones and changed the settings on a government app that grants women permission to leave, The Associated Press reported. 

According to the report, the changes are a potential game-changer for Saudi women’s rights in the kingdom. The legal system has long been criticized because it treated women as minors throughout their adult lives, requiring they have a man’s consent to obtain a passport or travel abroad. Often a woman’s male guardian is her father or husband and in some cases a woman’s own son.

The changes were widely celebrated by Saudis on Twitter, including posting memes showing people dashing to the airport with luggage and others hailing the 33-year-old crown prince believed to be the force behind these moves. But the changes also drew backlash from conservatives, who posted clips of senior Saudi clerics in past years arguing in favor of guardianship laws.

Other changes issued in the decrees allow women to register a marriage, divorce or child’s birth and to be issued official family documents. It also stipulates that a father or mother can be legal guardians of children.

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