Saudi Arabia allows women to travel without 'male' guardian approval

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Saudi Arabia allows women to travel without 'male' guardian approval
Saudi Arabia allows women to travel without 'male' guardian approval

Saudi Arabia : Saudi Arabia government on Thursday announced that women will be allowed to travel abroad without 'male' guardian approval.

"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 move comes after the longstanding restriction was criticized heavily on the international platforms.

Till date permission was required from the male guardian – husband, father or any other relative – for a woman to obtain the passport of make an exit from the country.

Women's rights activists have campaigned for decades against the guardianship system, which renders women as legal minors for their entire lives.

Last year, in June, the government had revoked ban from female motorists; Also, allowing women to attend the soccer game with men.

But while transforming the lives of many women, critics said the reforms will be cosmetic for many others until the kingdom abolishes the "guardianship" system that gives men arbitrary authority over their female relatives.