The Association for the Protection and Defense of Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia is a

Saudi Saudi may refer to: * Saudi Arabia * Saudis, people from Saudi Arabia * Saudi culture, the culture of Saudi Arabia * House of Saud The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is c ...

non-governmental organization founded to provide activism for women's rights. It was founded by

Wajeha al-Huwaider Wajeha al-Huwaider ( ar, وجيهة الحويدر) (born 1962 or 1963) is a Saudi activist and writer, who played key roles in the anti male-guardianship and women to drive campaigns during the early twenty-first century. She is a co-founder ...

and Fawzia al-Uyyouni, and grew out of a 2007 movement to gain women the right to drive. The association is not officially licensed by the government of Saudi Arabia, and has been warned not to mount demonstrations. In a 2007 interview, al-Huwaider described their goals:

The association will consist of a number of leagues, with each league pursuing a different issue or right... representation for women in shari'a courts; setting a inimumage for girls' marriages; allowing women to take care of their own affairs in government agencies and allowing them to enter government buildings; protecting women from domestic violence, such as physical or verbal violence, or keeping her from studies, work, or marriage, or forcing her to divorce…

History

The association's first campaign gathered signatures to petition King Abdullah to allow women to drive. The petition was ignored. In 2008, the association launched a "No to the Oppression of Women" campaign. The campaign recorded Saudi women speaking about the oppression or violence to which they had been subjected, with complete assurance of confidentiality and put the recordings on YouTube. The association described its campaign as giving victims a voice.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , title=2008 Human Rights Report: Saudi Arabia , publisher= United States State Department , date=2009-02-25 , url=https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/nea/119126.htm , accessdate=2011-05-23 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528211413/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/nea/119126.htm , archivedate=2011-05-28 , url-status=dead Organizations of the Arab Spring Women's rights organizations Women's rights in Saudi Arabia Human rights organisations based in Saudi Arabia 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests