Gender-based violence, fifteen countries of the world still prevent women from moving without the authorization of a man

ROME – The mobility of women is limited in several countries of the world, especially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where in some places women cannot leave the house without the permission of a man: father, husband, brother, even son. Some states, such as Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, have lifted the restrictions, but fifteen others still apply laws that require women to obey their husbands, to the point of considering them guilty if they work or travel without the man’s permission.

The work of the courts. Courts can also use female “disobedience” to limit women’s access to divorce and deny them the right to child support or custody. This type of attitude affects the will of women who are, for example, victims of abuse at home. Human Rights Watch reports the case of two Lebanese women, Cyntia and Mireille, who in 2013 told of having been advised by some priests in Lebanon not to leave the conjugal home, despite being victims of physical and emotional violence, since the court could have considered their leaving as a gesture of disinterest in their children. As a result, they could lose the opportunity to care for them.

In Syria and Yemen. In Syrian areas under the control of some armed groups, women can only visit public spaces if accompanied by a mahram, or a husband or close relative. In Yemen, the Houthi authorities require women to travel with a mahram or to provide a document certifying the man’s approval of their travels. The Yemeni women told local media that some bus drivers refused to let them on board because they were not accompanied by the mahram. Others demanded payment of a double ticket, even for the absent male guardian. The paradox is that these rules have forced many Yemenis to leave their jobs in local and international non-governmental organizations or United Nations agencies, because they did not have a man who could accompany them on their business trips.

From prison to trips you need a guardian. In Saudi Arabia and Yemen, women cannot leave prison at the end of their sentence without a male guardian present at the time of release. Some state universities in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates require women’s permission from a male tutor before joining a field trip.

Single women are the most discriminated against. Single women cannot live alone. In Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Gaza, if a single woman tries to rent an apartment she may be refused because she is not married. And even hotels turn up their noses if a woman without a man wants to rent a room in countries like Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar and Yemen. In February 2023, however, the Egyptian authorities issued regulations requiring hotels to welcome everyone, without gender discrimination.

Women and driving cars. In 2018, Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive and Oman allowed women to drive taxis. Since 2020, Qatar no longer asks for a male’s permission to obtain a driving licence. Saudi Arabia has also eased rules on gender segregation in recent years, including allowing women to attend stadiums. Iran has allowed a limited number of women to attend specific matches, but has continued to ban female spectators in stadiums generally. The good news is that most countries in the MENA region allow women to obtain passports without their guardian’s permission.

Travelling abroad. Most countries in the region allow women to travel freely. Until August 2019, Saudi women could not travel abroad at any age without the permission of a male. After many campaigns by women’s rights activists, the authorities changed this rule. Today, female citizens aged 21 and older, like men, no longer need to show permission from their guardian to travel. Currently, Iran and Qatar remain the only countries that require a man’s permission for women to leave. In the Iranian case, male authorization is also required to obtain a passport. Qatar requires unmarried female citizens under the age of 25 to show permission from their male guardian to travel abroad, while allowing men to travel without permission as early as the age of 18.

In Libya. Since May 2023, Libya’s Internal Security Agency, a body linked to the Prime Minister of Tripoli, has started asking Libyan women traveling without men to fill in a form specifying the reasons for the trip, why they are traveling alone and to provide all the details of past trips.