Fatima Muhammad

Saudi Gazette



JEDDAH — Celebrating the International Women's Day on Friday, Saudi women rejoiced over gaining considerable political and social rights that they cannot even dream of just a few years back.



The Day is marked on March 8 around the world every year. Originally called International Working Women's Day, it has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world. The United Nations began celebrating March 8 as International Women's Day in 1975.



Saudi women are currently holding leading positions in both public and private sectors. However, many of them who spoke to Saudi Gazette on the occasion complained that they still have to achieve several basic rights in a male-dominated society.



“We do not celebrate the Day, but on this day we remind ourselves and the public that there are some pressing women's issues that need urgent solution,” said Saudi businesswoman and social activist Naila Attar.



Attar said there are civil rights that women in the Kingdom are still denied. They include right to divorce, child custody and support, and alimony.



Attar said for Saudi women, getting a favorable court verdict in cases relating to custody and child support against their ex-husbands is an uphill battle.



One of the pressing issues, Attar said, is that judges should start considering women's IDs as official identification and should not ask for a male guardian to introduce them. “This is a basic right that we have been clamoring for.”



Another key demand is an anti-harassment law that ensures stringent punishment for those who dare to bother women in workplaces. Attar said such legislation has become especially important as more and more women are entering the job market. "Women should be able to work in a safe environment without the need for barriers separating them from male colleagues as is the case now," she said.



Saudi columnist Amira Kashgari said the main issues facing women are related to legal and civil rights. “It is gratifying to see that women are being recognized and placed in high positions, yet there are civil rights that should go line in line with employment rights,” she said. Kashgari described Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah's decision to nominate women to the consultative Shoura Council and appoint them in other key positions as a "remarkable move." She, however, added that Saudi women in all layers of society are still fighting for their legal rights of divorce, financial support and child custody in courts.



“We have long been calling for a clear set of written regulations that should protect women against all kinds of abuse. We want deterrent punishments incorporated into the proposed family protection law. It should be crystal clear to everyone that violence against women will not go unpunished," Kashgari said, and hoped that such a measure would bring down the number of domestic violence cases in the country.



Nisreen Najm Al-Deen, a Saudi journalist at Al-Watan newspaper, said Saudi women, though working hard, are still not appreciated in the job market and do not receive the same benefits enjoyed by their male colleagues. “The government encouraged women to work in almost all fields, but they still feel marginalized,” she added.



Referring to women's legal rights, Al-Deen said a major impediment is, in the absence of clear regulations, decisions in family disputes are left to the judges' discretion.



"Most judges issue their rulings on the basis of a particular school of Islamic jurisprudence and are reluctant to consider the views of other schools of thought," she said.