Thread by @monaeltahawy

Hundreds of women have tried to escape #Saudi Arabia in recent years, fleeing the strict male guardianship laws that control every aspect of their lives. These are the stories of some of those women via @Sophiemcneill @4corners abc.net.au/news/2019-02-0… #EndMaleGuardianship

All women fear the Dal Al Reaya — the state-run institutions where women who resist the male guardianship system or ‘shame’ their families often end up. Even women who go to the police to report a crime can be sent here. #EndMaleGuardianship

In order to escape #Saudi Arabia, women need permission from their male guardian to travel. Saudi Arabia's far-reaching controls over women extend online, where men are able to grant travel permissions through a government-run app called Absher. #EndMaleGuardianship

Absher can be used for every day functions like paying parking fines or renewing drivers licences,but it also allows men to change travel permissions and set up SMS alerts to let them know when a woman uses her passport at a border crossing or airport checkin #EndMaleGuardianship

Activists say some women manage to secretly access their guardian's phone, often at night when they are asleep, and change the settings on their guardian's Absher account. #EndMaleGuardianship

For #Saudi women who make it to #Australia, asylum is not guaranteed. At least 80 Saudi women have sought asylum in Australia in the last few years. #EndMaleGuardianship

This is FUCKING OUTRAGEOUS: “Four Corners has been told that #Saudi women who arrive alone in #Australian airports are being asked by Border Force officials why they are not travelling with a male guardian.” Border Force officials are COMPLICIT in #Saudi gender apartheid.