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

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

founded to provide activism for

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countri ...

. 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 YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

. 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 The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nat ...

, 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