VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRH #0434/01 0720910
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 120910Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7996
INFO RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH PRIORITY 9447

UNCLAS RIYADH 000434 
 
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SIPDIS 
 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KISL SA
SUBJECT: UN FOCUSES ON VIOLENCE AGAINST SAUDI WOMEN 
 
REF: ACTING DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION DAVID RUNDELL FOR 
     REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
1.(U) SUMMARY:  Professor Yakin Erturk, Special Rapporteur of 
the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, shared the 
preliminary results of her ten-day research on violence 
against women and its causes and consequences in the KSA. 
Erturk said she is amazed by the extent to which Saudi women 
have progressed.  However, she also expressed concern about 
"horrible" cases of family violence in the country.  Her 
initial assessment is that Saudi Arabia must create laws to 
protect women from violence and also allow them to play a 
bigger role in society and the workplace. END SUMMARY. 
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BACKGROUND 
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2.(U) Professor Yakin Erturk, a professor of sociology at the 
Middle East Technical University in Ankara, has been the 
United Nation's Special Rapporteur on violence against women 
since 2003.  In this capacity, she has visited 15 countries 
before coming to Saudi Arabia.   Erturk was in the Kingdom at 
 the invitation of the SAG.  In January, the U.N. Committee 
on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) 
criticized Saudi Arabia calling for ending the male 
guardianship system immediately. CEDAW also reported that 
women in the Kingdom are victims of systematic and pervasive 
discrimination across all aspects of life. 
 
¶3. (U) At a February 13 press conference in Riyadh, Erturk 
outlined her observations of Saudi Arabia.  She had just 
spent ten days in the Kingdom, meeting with government 
officials in Riyadh, Buraidah, Jeddah, and Dammam to assess 
the status women in Saudi Arabia.  To validate her findings, 
Erturk also visited a shelter for abused women in Jeddah, the 
Female Protection House, and met separately with each 
resident.  Erturk, who had studied in Riyadh 20 years ago, 
said she is amazed by the extent to which Saudi women have 
progressed.  She told Al-Watan Arabic daily: "The Saudi woman 
has become a teacher, doctor, dean faculty, and 
businessperson.  There is no comparison between her status in 
the past and the present." 
 
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VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 
--------------------------------------------- 
¶4.  (U)  Despite the progress of Saudi women Erturk expressed 
concern about "horrible" cases of family violence in the 
country.   She remarked that while some Saudi women she met 
expressed satisfaction with their lives, "others have raised 
concerns of serious levels of discriminatory practices 
against women that compromise their rights and dignity as 
full human beings."  Many of Erturk,s interlocutors 
complained about the serious discrimination and abuses 
against women from the religious police (Muttawa). 
 
¶5.  (U) Erturk said Saudi Arabia,s system of male 
guardianship for women limits women,s freedom of movement 
and ability to act in a whole range of family and social 
areas.  She further explained that the lack of written laws 
governing private life constitutes a major obstacle to 
women,s access to justice and prevent many women from 
escaping abusive environments.  Erturk also raised the issue 
of the driving ban for women during her talks, but stated 
that while it is a serious issue, she did not think there is 
a specific timeframe for solving this issue.  Erturk noted 
that enabling women to drive would give them freedom to move 
and work. 
 
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RECOMMENDATIONS 
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¶6.  (U) Erturk believes Saudi Arabia must create laws to 
protect women from violence and also allow women to play a 
bigger role in society and the workplace.  She noted that the 
lack of women,s autonomy and economic independence is a 
primary reason for the level of violence against women in the 
Kingdom.  She recommended the following as initial solutions: 
 
      a.) Judicial reforms to include a legal framework based 
on international human rights                 standards that 
would cover violence and family matters. 
      b.) Establishing a national mechanism for women that 
will intervene in cases of violence           against them. 
      c.) Implementing positive action policies and plans to 
empower women. 
      d.) Organizing courses to educate society about the 
causative factors behind family               upheavals. 
      e.) Establishing a mechanism for accessing divorce and 
the plight of women abandoned by        their husbands. 
      f.) Provide training for police, health care providers, 
community leaders and others to         show them that 
violence against women is both a violation of basic rights 
and             incompatible with Muslim values. 
 
¶7.  (U)  COMMENT.  Erturk's report negatively portrayed the 
condition of women in Saudi Arabia.  However, the SAG, Human 
Rights Commission (HRC), the National Society of Human Rights 
and unlicensed NGOs are implementing measures to address 
needs of abused women.  According to the Saudi Gazette, the 
Experts Commission at the Council of Ministers is drafting 
legislation that will define child abuse, violence against 
women, and its penalties.  The HRC is also requesting 
training on how to raise awareness of human rights abuses in 
country.END COMMENT. 
FRAKER