The UN has announced that Saudi Arabia will be a part of the Commission on the Status of Women, the intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. That’s right, Saudi Arabia.
The country so committed to women’s liberation that it ranks 141/144 for gender equality in the World Economic Forum’s 2016 Global Gender Gap report. That’s third place from the bottom. This may have something to do with the fact that women cannot drive and need permission from a male guardian to travel, work, marry, access healthcare and even leave prison.
Hillel Neuer of UN Watch summed it up with the comment, “Electing Saudi Arabia to protect women’s rights is like making an arsonist into the town fire chief”. [The Independent] Read more
