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Riyadh: A Saudi human rights organisation has called for the abolition of the sponsorship system applied for expatriate workers.
The National Human Rights Association (NHRA), a non-governmental organisation, said in its first report since its establishment in March 2004 that the sponsorship system was the cause of many human rights violations of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia.
The Association called for a study to create an alternative system. The 77-page report released on Monday and highlights NHRA's human rights remarks in 2006, called for improving the legal situation of women.
The association noted that it has monitored a number of women's rights violations such as forcing a woman to bring a legal guardian for performing many of her activities.
The NHRA added that it was a flagrant violation of a woman's rights not to allow them to do any kind of business unless through a legal guardian.
Legal guardian
"Even if she wants to file a lawsuit she has to do that through a legal guardian," the report noted.
"A woman should obtain the consent of her legal guardian in order to obtain an identity card or a passport," the report pointed out.
The NHRA urged the Shura Council and other relevant bodies to take initiative and create legislations covering human rights aspects and to make the existing legislations compatible with the provisions of relevant international agreements endorsed by the Kingdom and at the same time omit any articles that run contrary to it.
The NHRA called for the independence of the judiciary and protection of judges from any intervention or influences. Judges who are negligent should be made accountable for their violations, it said adding that necessary measures should be taken to assure both citizens and expatriates on the independence and fairness of the judiciary.
It underlined the importance of developing and restructuring the judiciary and increasing the number of judges to put an end to the delays in settlement of cases before courts.
In its report, the association criticised the penalty law saying that it did not guarantee the defendant the right not to answer questions in court.
"The law should guarantee this right to the defendant and it is necessary that the defendant should have a lawyer," the NHRA pointed out.
The association, in its report, has recommended developing a university textbook named Human Rights in Saudi Arabia.
The report said teaching of the book should be made compulsory to university students. Students of military academy and of the higher judiciary institute should be taught texts covering the entire gamut of human rights issues, it said.
Academy for lawyers
The society also proposed the establishment of an academy or institute for the training of lawyers on such issues.
The report also called for the issuance of a national obligation for protection against domestic violence and creating necessary mechanisms to protect the victims and preserve their rights.
The National Human Rights Association, in its report, called for a study on the situations of all stateless persons such as Bedouin, migrating tribes or those who have been residing for long years in Makkah and Madinah.
It urged the concerned bodies to correct the status of these categories to guarantee their rights and prevent any negative impacts resulting from their illegal status.
The association criticised Article 12 of the regulation governing the activities of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, known as the Religious Police. The report said some of the articles are vague and may lead the members of the commission to exceed their duties and violate others' rights.
Varsity students must be taught rights issues
- Women's rights violation such as forcing a woman to depend a legal guardian for undertaking any public or private businesses.
- The report calls for independence of judiciary, appointment of more judges and provisions to make judges accountable for their actions.
- The association recommended developing a university textbook. Students of military academy and of the higher judiciary institute should be taught texts covering the entire gamut of human rights issues.
- Calls for a study on the situation of all stateless persons.
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