American Bethany divorced her husband, but can Saudi Arabia, with more

An American teacher (31) in 2011 for Saudi Arabia moved to teach at a women university, there married and became a mother, the country will be no more. Her marriage to a Saudi businessman ran after a few years on the cliffs. Despite their divorce Bethany Vierra no side more, her former husband remains her guardian and that of their daughter Zaina. She is not able to access her bank account to use, let alone to travel with her daughter or the private kingdom to be abandoned. Her ex-husband refuses - complete in accordance with the Saudi laws - are to grant permission. “Bethany is completely devastated,” says her niece Nicole Carroll to The New York Times.

In the patriarchal system of the Saudi government based on sharia law, adult women are considered as minors. This also applies to foreign women who are with Saudi's marry their children. For all Saudi women require permission of their male guardian, usually their father or husband.

Read also “Google and Apple have app that Saudi women the following offer,” Absher

Since four years can that consent be granted through the app Absher which was developed by the Saudi ministry of the Interior. That is officially focused on the administration easier to handle, but will be helping in the oppression of women in order to keep you, says the criticism. A male guardian can via Absher give permission, but he can also revoke. Moreover, can the man is also a gauge to get if a woman has her passport want to travel abroad. Despite protest from human rights groups reject Apple and Google to make the controversial app deleted from, respectively, the App Store and Play Store. Absher has more than eleven million users.

a Few months after her arrival in Saudi Arabia asked friends Bethany for her later husband. These had studied abroad, and seemed to her ambitions plenty of support. Nicole was a witness at their wedding in 2013 in Portugal and they also seemed convinced. “He was charming, loving, and kind. Bethany really had the feeling that she has someone had found that she and the rest of her her life could share.” After the birth of their daughter Zaina lost Bethany's husband and more and more temperament. He scolded Bethany, in the presence of Zaina, daily skin full. The situation was, after a few years, slowly becoming unbearable, when Bethany asked to separate. A request where the businessman for a year no result.

A court followed last year, the man who declared that Bethany lies uitkraamde. He said that he had six months previously the marriage had terminated (if the Saudi man did this, he just a few words to speak) and contested that he had engaged in verbal abuse and emotional abuse. The divorce is in place, Bethany's ex-husband remains her guardian and that of Zaina. Mother and daughter could not Christmas with family in the United States to celebrate, because her ex is no permission granted to travel. The Saudi government recognizes the American dubbelnationaliteit of Zaina. If Bethany find a way to the kingdom to escape, Zaina, unless her ex-husband agrees. Something he refuses.

The New York Times contacted the businessman, but who refused all comment. A spokesman of the Us ministry of Foreign Affairs also wanted nothing quiet about the matter and gave privacy reasons. “Everyone asks me, what now, what now? However, there is no " what now’, to decide Bethany's cousin, Nicole.