Some Saudi women say the guradianship law has been abused. In this file photo, two Saudi women are seen talking over phone. JEDDAH – A group of Saudi women have demanded that the Minister of Labor revoke the legal stipulation that a woman must have her guardian's consent in order to work. Campaigners made the call in a letter sent by email to Minister of Labor Adel Fakieh on Tuesday. They said that the concept of guardianship has been abused by men. “Guardianship is for minor children not for fully competent, adult women. The Shariah has granted men and women equal rights in education and work,” they said. In the open letter, they said that the concept of guardianship was being abused in violation of the Shariah. They called for the Minister of Labor to “annul the guardian's powers which enable him to have a woman dismissed from her work,” according to a report in Al-Hayat newspaper. The campaigners say that women started to play their natural role in society following King Abdullah's speech in which he said that women should not be marginalized in society and should be given basic rights including the right to become a Shoura member and the right to vote or run for public office in municipal elections. King Abdullah's decision was seen as a real victory for Saudi society and a huge step towards achieving equality for women. Campaigners hope that the minister will allow women to choose what and where to work and cancel the condition of guardian's consent, which they say is an obstacle. They have urged the minister to respond to their letter by Oct. 29 because, they said, their campaign is time-restricted. Aliyah Banajah, the head of the campaign, said: “Women like men have the right to work, but giving the guardian's these powers harms women's work.”
