Saudi women thrilled over decision to allow traveling independently

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Fri, 02 Aug 2019 - 12:35 GMT

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Fri, 02 Aug 2019 - 12:35 GMT

FILE: The new amendment was approved on Thursday, allowing all Saudi women to apply for passports "like all citizens"

FILE: The new amendment was approved on Thursday, allowing all Saudi women to apply for passports "like all citizens"

CAIRO – 2 August 2019: Women in Saudi Arabia will finally be allowed to hold passports and travel abroad without the consent of a male guardian, according to a recent decision by the Saudi Cabinet.

The new amendment was approved on Thursday, allowing all Saudi women to apply for passports "like all citizens" and for women aged 21 and above to travel independently.

The Ministry of Information called the reform, which comes into effect at the end of August, part of the kingdom's "efforts to promote women's rights and empowerment, equal to men."

“May god protect King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman who preserved the stature of Saudi women and granted them their rights. Only hatred and envy could lead to ungratefulness,” Twitter user and writer @mahalwabel said.




For her part, @Lama_algosaibi tweeted, “Congratulations to all Saudi women who are aware and have always been responsible and trusted, long live Saudi Arabia.”




@halimamuthaffar also congratulated Saudi woem nand said all decisions that target women also benefits men and families altogether, saying these are the kind of decisions that teach everyone responsibility towards others.




For her part, @WaadArif tweeted, “Saudi Arabia has granted women 21 and above the right to travel abroad, issue their passports without a male guardian's permission, request official family's docs, and report any change of martial status as with men. A remarkable change towards gender equality & women's rights!”




Earlier today, Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, tweeted that the lifted travel and passport bans are a sign of the country's "unequivocal commitment to gender equality."

The nomination of Al-Saud as a female ambassador reflects bin Salman's plan to increase the number of women in the workforce -- in recent years, a limited number of women have been allowed to pursue more jobs and even senior government positions.

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