Saudi Arabia has been chosen to chair the United Nations commission that is supposed to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment around the world. The news generated a stir, especially among human rights groups due to the country’s serious “delays” in women’s rights. Riyadh is trying in every way to give itself a “facelift” in terms of its global image, but data and reports say something completely different: wives forced to obey their husbands, activists imprisoned, violence against women unpunished.
No opposition at the UN
The vote took place by “acclamation” on March 27 in New York during the meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations. The nomination was made by Saudi ambassador Abdulaziz Alwasil, elected president of the CSW. In reality there were no rival candidates, but no one in the chamber raised any exceptions at the time of the proposal. The handover came as the outgoing president, Philippine UN envoy Antonio Manuel Lagdameo, asked the 45 Asia-Pacific diplomats if they had any objections. As silence fell in the chamber, the diplomat confirmed the appointment. The Philippines was supposed to hold the presidency for two years, but other members of the Asian group pressured him to end his term early, transferring the position to another country after a year.
Expectations were aimed at Bangladesh, but Saudi Arabia intervened in the process, pushing for the presidency, diplomatic sources said. The move is part of numerous attempts by Saudi rulers to polish the image of the kingdom: clearer and “Westernized”. The paths taken are varied. This summer, for example, the Saudis have stocked up on champions (and others) from European football teams, overpaying players (more or less young) to give prestige to the Saudi Pro League. An operation only half successful. In October they then secured the organization of the World Cup in 2034. While “footwashing” remains anchored to business issues and criticized only by the curveballs and the last defenders of romantic football, standing up as champions of women’s rights is more complicated.
The law that forces women to obey their husbands
According to human rights organizations, it is paradoxical that a country leading states in terms of gender equality is still such a clear gap between men’s and women’s rights. As highlighted by Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia’s presidency will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, which remains the main UN resolution on the empowerment and improvement of the status of women globally. “Saudi Arabia’s abysmal record when it comes to protecting and promoting women’s rights shines a spotlight on the vast gulf between the lived reality for women and girls in Saudi Arabia and the Commission’s aspirations,” she commented in a statement Sherine Tadros, head of Amnesty International’s New York office.
In response to criticism, Saudi officials immediately referred to the “personal status” law passed in 2022, pointing to it as evidence of progress in women’s rights. According to Amnesty, this rule “in reality reinforces gender discrimination in every aspect of family life, from marriage, to divorce, to child custody and inheritance, and fails to protect women from gender violence”. The law stipulates that a woman must obtain permission from a male guardian to marry. It also establishes that the wife must obey her husband in a “reasonable manner”, while to obtain financial support from her husband, the woman must demonstrate “obedience”. The refusal to have sexual relations with the husband, to travel with the spouse and to live in the marital home requires a “legitimate excuse”, otherwise the withdrawal of the financial support provided by law is justified.
Saudi activists jailed
In a report published this week, Amnesty experts also highlighted how a leaked draft of Saudi Arabia’s first written penal code would have further “catastrophic consequences” for women in the country. “Saudi Arabia cannot demonstrate its commitment to women’s rights simply by securing a leadership role in the Commission. It must demonstrate its commitment through concrete actions at the national level, including abolishing the male guardianship system and repealing provisions from its laws that discriminate against women,” Amnesty underlined. It also calls on Saudi authorities to “end the crackdown on freedom of expression” and to “immediately release all those unjustly detained for expressing their views, including expressing support for women’s rights.” Human Rights Watch also positioned itself along the same lines. In its latest report, it highlights that the “personal status law” includes provisions that facilitate domestic violence and sexual abuse in marriage.
The organization also highlights that local authorities prevented Saudi women’s rights activists from contributing to drafting the rules, “as the bill was not made public before it was adopted.” Human Rights Watch recalled that in recent years women activists have suffered arbitrary arrests, torture and travel bans. “A country that incarcerates women simply for defending their rights has no right to be the face of the United Nations’ premier forum for women’s rights and gender equality,” she told the Guardian Louis Charbonneau, director of Human Rights Watch at the UN. Charbonneau also underlined the general silence of other states regarding the nomination obtained by Saudi Arabia. Although with different “arguments”, Riyadh was able to silence the UN diplomats as well as the dissent of the women.
