Saudi Arabian Men Now Get Text Alerts When Their Wives Leave The Country

Saudi Arabian Men Now Get Text Alerts When Their Wives Leave The Country


In Saudi Arabia, if a woman leaves the country, her husband or male “guardian” will receive a text message to let him know that, even if she’s travelling with him, ho boy! His woman is on the loose.

In order to travel abroad in the first place, a woman has to have written permission — a “yellow slip” — to hand over to immigration before they let her out of jail the country. If the new system sounds familiar it’s because it’s similar to implanting a tracking chip in your dog that helps you find her if she gets lost.

But it gets worse! Adding insult to insult is Saudi officials’ spin that this move modernises its e-government plan. And they were serious when they said that. Women: can’t be trusted to drive cars, work in many places, and now pretty much go anywhere unattended. (In Saudi Arabia at least). Saudi Arabia: where technology and misogyny unite! [The Guardian via FastCo]

Image: Shutterstock/discpicture


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