WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

That this House expresses concern at the continuing guardianship policy in Saudi Arabia which prohibits women from travelling, participating in higher education, marrying, conducting official business or undergoing certain medical procedures without permission of a male guardian; believes such a policy fundamentally harms the interests of women in the kingdom and draws attention to a case highlighted in Human Rights Watch's 2013 world report where a woman seriously injured in a car accident which had killed her husband had an operation delayed due to not having a male guardian to authorise the procedure; opposes further discriminatory policies such as the ban on female drivers and expresses solidarity with campaigns such as Women2Drive which is seeking to overturn these; is disappointed that in custody disputes courts in the kingdom typically award custody of female children over the age of seven and male children over the age of nine to the father; expresses particular concern about the plight of female migrant domestic workers who require a sponsor's consent to change jobs or leave the country and often face severe psychological, physical and sexual abuse; and calls on the UK Government to publicly oppose all gender discrimination in practice and law in Saudi Arabia, make representations to its Saudi counterparts pressing them to safeguard women's rights in the kingdom as a matter of urgency and place women's rights at the centre of its relationship with the kingdom.