Saudi Arabia has an appalling human rights record when it comes to the treatment of women. In the Middle Eastern kingdom, women are treated like second-class citizens. They’re banned from driving, mingling with the opposite sex, and going out in public without a male guardian. A Saudi woman was even flogged for checking her husband’s phone without his permission. Most appallingly, the testimony of one man is equal to that of two women in court.
Nevertheless, the United Nations has just announced that Saudi Arabia will be joining its Commission on the Status of Women, a UN agency founded to promote “gender equality and the empowerment of women.” The country’s 2018-2022 appointment has been condemned by UN Watch, a Geneva-based human rights watchdog.
The UN press release states that the Commission on the Status of Women was elected by secret ballot with 54 voting members. Other countries with seats on the council include Algeria, Comoros, Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Iraq, Haiti, and Turkmenistan.
“Electing Saudi Arabia to protect women’s rights is like making an arsonist into the town fire chief,” declared UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer on Twitter. “It’s absurd.”
“Every Saudi woman must have a male guardian who makes all critical decisions on her behalf, controlling a woman’s life from birth until death,” he continued. “Saudi Arabia also bans women from driving cars.”
Critics of Saudi Arabia compared the appointment to the country’s seat on the UN Human Rights Council. Many pointed out just how much of a joke the UN was for the decision.
UN Watch pointed out how Saudi Arabia’s position on the Human Rights Council gave the repressive regime the privilege of voting on and influencing various resolutions that affected the rights of women worldwide, including the ending of gender-based discrimination, and domestic violence laws—many of which it is openly opposed to.
It’s a dark day for international women’s rights.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
