Saudi Arabia allows women to travel without male ‘guardian’

Riyadh, August 2

Saudi Arabia will allow women to travel abroad without approval from a male "guardian", the government said Thursday, ending a restriction that drew international censure and prompted extreme attempts to flee the kingdom.

The landmark reform erodes the longstanding guardianship system that renders women permanently as legal minors and allows their "guardians" -- husband, father and other male relatives -- to exercise arbitrary authority over them.

The decision, following years of campaigning by activists, comes after high-profile attempts by women to escape their guardians despite a string of reforms including a historic decree last year that overturned the world's only ban on female motorists.

“A passport will be granted to any Saudi national who submits an application," said a government ruling published in the official gazette Umm Al Qura. The regulation effectively allows women over the age of 21 to obtain passports and leave the country without their guardian's permission. — AFP