By Fatima Al-Dibais
DAMMAM — The Shoura Council will discuss amendments in the rules and regulations of travel documents with a view to enable women get their passports without the consent of their male guardians.
Deputy Chairman of the council's security committee, Atta Al-Thibaiti, said the committee had thoroughly discussed the study on the issue of the women passports prior to forwarding it to the general assembly for consideration.
He said the proposal to amend three out of 11 articles of the law of travel documents, was tabled by five members during the previous session of the council.
"The proposal will be included in the council's agenda for the coming months," he added.
According to Thibaiti, under the new amendments, women will have the right to issue their own travel documents without the consent of their husbands or other male guardians.
He said the wife and the children above 18 will no longer be added to the passport of their fathers. "The father can only add to his passport his minor children but not his wife or his grown-up children," he explained.
Thibaiti said the amendments are aimed at consolidating the citizenship of women and to prevent many male guardians from misusing the right to issue passports to their wives or other women under their guardianship.
