Where Women Are Still Not Equal

Money might not buy you love but it can certainly ensure the rest of
the world looks the other way when you decide to flaunt the rights of women.

This is the current situation in Saudi Arabia, where the human rights of its female population continue
to be breached without even a pause for consideration.

Indeed, many highly educated Saudi women regularly express their
shame at still having to fight for even
the most basic freedoms, that we in the West take for granted.

To date and despite continuous protestations, women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive, nor can they start a
business, marry, work, travel or in some cases even undergo medical treatment
without the express permission of a male guardian. As if to compound the
insult, this can often be a son as well as a husband.

The terrible reality is that if a woman leaves the kingdom a tracker
chip in her government ID card will
fire off an automatic text to her husband, alerting him.

Many girls are forced to live a sedentary existence and forbidden
from sports. The religious police claim
exercise for females is a gateway to them wearing scanty clothes, associating
with men and leaving their homes unnecessarily.

The sad fact is that most Saudi girls have no outlet for their
youthful energy. That goes some way to explaining why two thirds of them are overweight or even obese and depression is a
rising problem in such a repressed environment.

And what are the governments of the "free world" doing about this.

Absolutely NOTHING!

Until they are able to look
past the oil and the dollars, can any of our world leaders who remain aware
of the discrimination that exists in a nation it considers to be a global
partner, truly call themselves committed to equality for women.

On International Women's Day,
for Saudi women everywhere, this is one question well overdue an answer!

Madeline Self

Source: http://womentalking.co.uk/new//topics/lifestyle/where-women-are-still-not-equal/