Technology Disruption in Amendments of Regulations for Women Travel Permits in Saudi Arabia

Beatrix Marcella Lourdes Imelda Boro1, Hesti Nurani2, Andriko Sandria3 International Relations, Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Sebelas Maret. 1 [email protected] 2 [email protected] 3 [email protected]

Abstract The Women Travel Permit feature on the Absher mobile application launched by the Saudi Arabian government was in the spotlight of various international media in early 2019 until the developer finally removed the feature. This paper will describe the process of changing norms in Saudi Arabia that made the government amend regulations on women's travel there. The approach used in this paper is the constructivism approach by adopting the concept of a gender equality regime presented by Nüket Kardam. Data from various media publications about the discourse around foreign travel permits for women in Saudi Arabia is the main source as a contextual explanation to describe the interaction between norms of global gender equality with norms in force in Saudi Arabia. The results of this study indicated that the feature of a women's travel permit on the Absher application triggers the reaction of several international actors due to several related cases reported. The reaction of one US senator Ron Wyden's in the media was the beginning of the emergence of international reactions to the living conditions of women in Saudi Arabia. Various local and international actors are triggered to sue the government in line with the increasing pressure from the international world. This paper concludes that Absher Application triggered the pressure from international actors who want the adoption of the norms of global gender equality so that it can influence the Saudi Arabian government in amending regulations and eliminating the features of women travel permits in the Absher application. Keywords: Absher, Gender, Regimes, Women Travel Permit, Saudi Arabia,

Introduction via the internet. The public is also not In 2013 under the authority of the required to come to the ministry office to Ministry of the Interior in collaboration take care of passports and visas because with the National Information Center of electronic machine services have been Saudi Arabia launched an e-government provided in public places. Some of the product called Absher (Sabq.org, 2014). features contained in it include Query of Absher means "your request will be performing the Hajj, health insurance, fulfilled", in accordance with its purpose new workers and visitors, The issuance of which is to meet the needs of the citizens travel permits and canceled, The issuance of Saudi Arabia related to matters with of visas and canceled, and so on (Al- the interior ministry (Human Right Khateeb, 2015). Watch, 2019). Through this program, The government continues to administrative procedures related to the develop Absher's programs and services interests of Saudi Arabians in the interior to be more efficient in use and easily ministry shifted from those originally accessible to the community. One of the using printed paper to electronic media innovations made by the government is by releasing the Absher application as an account on February 2, 2019 through the Individual e-Service Mobile Application hashtag Absher (#Absher). This account on February 24, 2016 on Google Play and writes: “Men in #SaudiArabia can track Itunes services. The government also their wives and daughters using the provides several additional features on government #Masssurveillance the Absher Application, for example programme #Absher. If we try to escape renewal of driver's license, passport this slavery society and are not control, exit, entry visas for expatriates. proficient enough at #CyberWar to The launch of this application received a evade its tracking your own family will positive response from citizens of Saudi likely kill you.” This Tweet is Arabia, in addition to its access to public accompanied by an English news link services that are increasingly easy as well bussinesinsider.com, which is a media as a more complete variation of features. from United State which reports about As of 2019, the Absher application has Shahad al-Muhaimeed and Rahaf al- been used by more than eleven million Qunun, Saudi women, who are trying to users (AlJazeera, 2019). escape abroad. In this news, it was Even though the Absher app conveyed that the Absher application is a received a lot of appreciation, criticism barrier for Saudi Arabian women to seek from the domestic and international asylum in other countries community were still conveyed through (Businessinsider, 2019). social media, namely Twitter. Most of Criticism was also expressed by the criticisms raised protested against the the @AsunCareterro account on 3 Women Travel Permit feature, which is a February 2019 through #Absher. The feature that facilitates the licensing of account shares news from the Spanish- Saudi Arabian women to travel abroad. language media Publico.es entitled Permission was obtained from male “'#Absher': la aplicación móvil del guardians, so that every departure of Gobierno saudí para rastrear a las Saudi Arabian women can be known by #mujeres y evitar que escapen …..vía the guardian. The male guardian will @publico_es” (Absher ': Government- receive an SMS regarding the licensing Owned Mobile Application Saudis Used confirmation and departure information. to Track Women and Prevent Them (to) The first Tweet that criticized Escape) (Publico.es, 2019). On the same Absher came from the @CarlMarsalis date, the @infosKDK and @kkerima accounts reposted similar news from the 2019). Ron Wyden also reiterated his French-language media, Slate.fr (Slate.fr, claim in a Twitter post, on February 13, 2019). The account @infosKDK writes: 2019, which contained: "I am "#arabiesaoudite #applications En demanding that @ Google and @ Apple partenariat avec le gouvernement, pull down apps that promote abusive l'appli #Absher permet aux pères et practices against women in Saudi maris d'empêcher leurs femmes et leurs Arabia." by the international filles de quitter le pays." government, community, one of which was delivered #Absher application allows fathers and by the English-language Twitter account husbands to prevent their wives and @LeilZahra on February 13, 2019, which daughters from leaving the country). wrote: bThis Tweet also includes an While the account @kkerima wrote: insider.com media link which contains "L'égalité homme-femme selon l criticisms from various activists about '#ArabieSaoudite. L'application Google and Apple. They argue that #Absher pour empêcher sa fille or Absher is an application that curbs femme de quitter le pays. Bravo women's movements and preserves "@ONU_fr ce pays mérite vraiment sa patriarchal culture, so that Apple and place au conseil des droits de l'homme": Google, which are made in western (Gender equality according to products, should not support that culture #ArabieSaoudite. #Absher application by providing Absher applications in the used to prevent daughters and wives from app store(Businessinsider, 2019). leaving the country. Bravo ...) Existing discourse not only occurs Criticism delivered by the abroad, in the domestic environment international community is accompanied there are also pros and cons that are more by demands on Apple and Google to directed to the regulations of women remove the Absher application from the travel permits. For example the Twitter app store service. This demand began to account @ _H_2015 which supports the be massive called after the American rules of a women's travel permit by senate, Ron Wyden, delivered a letter to writing: "ههههههه سفر من غير محرم تعرفين كم وحده تسافر Google and Apple on February 11, 2019 بدون محرم ؟؟ االالف النساء الي حاصلين ع تصريح which contained a request to remove the يسافرن بغير محرم يامغفله" Absher application from their services because it violated human rights (Wyden, (Hahahaha Traveling without a to travel abroad without their guardian. mahram. Do you know how many The amendment also has an impact on women travel alone without a mahram? the removal of the Women Travel Permit Thousands of women who have feature on the Absher application (The permission to travel without a mahram Guardian, 2019). are lost). In addition to rejection, there is Methods also support from domestic people who The concept of gender equality is want to abolish the rules for women used as the main concept to explain how travel permits as stated in the Arabic the process of regulatory changes in language account @ samiaalnasser on Saudi Arabia related to the Women April 11, 2018, which writes: Travel Permit in the Absher application feature. Nüket Kardam in his article "اتمني من والة األمر حفظهم هللا إعادة النظر في explained that gender equality has موضوع سفر المرأة وعدم إلزامها تصريح إذن خروج become an emerging regime with the للسفر خاصة إذا كانت المرأة مدركة وواعية هي التي spread of norms, principles, legal تتحمل مسئولية نفسها ولما تعانيه بعض النساء instruments and legal compliance إلضطهاد إما من أخوها أو من يعولها في حالة فقدها globally. Kardam argues that the ألبيها ليسمح لها بالسفر" (I hope that God will protect the constructivist approach to international Governors to reconsider travel rules that relations makes it possible to analyze require women to have travel permits, how gender equality regimes work with a especially if the woman is an adult focus on influential norms, interactions woman who can be responsible for between those norms and decision herself ...) makers who are able to formally In response to various criticisms implement these norms. Kardam argued from the international community that the norms of global gender equality towards Absher and domestic people's in Islamic countries shifted due to the criticism of the rules for women travel interrelation with different norms carried permits, the Government of Saudi Arabia by different institutions in the country. decided to amend the regulations When the norms of global gender governing Women Travel Permits. equality are introduced, trying to be Changes to the regulation, announced on integrated and mixed with existing August 1, 2019, allow women over the norms, new norms will function and also age of 21 to obtain a passport and be able replace the old norms. This also applies in other developing countries where Saudi Arabia as a sovereign country in its different institutions carry different implementation was sourced from the gender norms. (Kardam, 2004) Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Kardam's explanation of how the gender (Saudi Arabia Royal Order, 1992). The equality regime can influence decision existence of male guardianship law making is the main approach to explore prevents Saudi women from accessing how the process of eliminating the tertiary education, working, obtaining women travel permit feature from the passports, using public facilities and Absher application. The original norms traveling abroad without the consent of formulated in the guardian law the trustees. This rule directly puts regulations in Saudi Arabia interact with women as a minor figure in the social life the values and norms of global gender of society because all control is held by equality so as to influence decision men. makers to consider changing regulations Saudi Arabia which implements related to Women Travel Permit. The Islamic law as its constitution tends to be data in this study were collected through authoritarian in formulating every policy. the reporting and publication of research Many rules ultimately discriminate showing the norms and conditions of life against women because of the full of the people governed by the application of Islamic law without government of Saudi Arabia. The looking at the context today. One of them discourse search for Women Travel was the ratification of the Law of Permit features in Saudi Arabia will focus Association by the Council of Ministers on the Absher application that has in 2015, which contained the rules appeared in international media since regarding associations. The Law of early 2019. Various relevant institutions Association is considered to be intolerant from the international, regional and of human rights issues because in the domestic world as well as individuals are rules listed there are no regulations the actors analyzed in this paper. regarding human rights (Amnesty Result and Discussion International, 2018). One of the rules Male Guardianship is one of the which is quite highlighted by human aspects included in Saudi Arabia's Basic rights activists is the refusal of granting Law. This basic law was officially licenses to new organizations and the adopted in 1992 by emphasizing that disbanding of existing organizations. This regulation certainly creates conflict organizations that are quite active in because in Saudi Arabia there are still Saudi Arabia are Human Right Watch many organizations engaged in the field (HRW) and Amnesty International. of human rights that have not yet Regarding the issue of male received a license. guardianship law, Human Right Watch In Saudi Arabia, there are only sent a letter to the Ministry of the Interior two human rights organizations, namely on May 16, 2016 which contained a the Squid Human Rights Commission request for a meeting to discuss reports of and the National Society for Human findings on human rights in Saudi Arabia Rights (Amnesty International, 2018). before being published (Human Rights Unfortunately both of these Watch , 2017). HRW plans to discuss organizations are government-owned about women travel permits by bringing organizations, which are directly less up the issue of the number of passport effective in voicing public criticism to the and overseas travel applications by government. Evidenced by the lack of women without permission from the action taken by both organizations to get male guardian, the number of requests to involved in fighting for the human rights go abroad on the grounds of domestic of the people of Saudi Arabia. This violence and formal guidelines for condition shows the need for women travel permits. Unfortunately the international organizations to get letter delivered by HRW did not get a involved in voicing the realization of response from the government until the human rights, especially gender equality. day the report was published. This action International organizations as entities shows how the government of Saudi outside the country have a wider Arabia does not have a high commitment movement space than the domestic in dealing with human rights issues, community in Saudi Arabia itself. In especially women travel permits. addition to being restrained by culture in A women's travel permit is a rule the domestic community, they are also that requires women to obtain permission confronted with laws set by the from a male guardian related to the need government, which is the reason why not to travel abroad. Women cannot apply many Saudi Arabians have massively for a passport and travel abroad without expressed their rejection of the male permission from the male guardian. guardianship law. The international Although a woman already has a passport, but to be able to go abroad must guardianship law (Human Rights Watch, bring a written letter from her guardian. 2017). From the data presented there are Here the male guardian not only gives indications that women in Saudi Arabia permission but can also determine how do not have freedom in carrying out long the woman he is responsible for can activities and enjoying public services. go abroad. The launch of the Absher The existence of a male guardian cannot application in 2016 in fact changed the guarantee that what he decides will have licensing requirements that previously a good effect on the woman. For certain had to be written to be mobile. Even with cases, male guardianship law is actually the SMS facility, it makes it easier for misused by men to act arbitrarily towards male guardians to supervise the women women. With the publication of the they are responsible for. Because the results of this report made the people of Absher application has many features Saudi Arabia and the international that greatly help the people of Saudi community begin to realize and Arabia, few of the Saudi Arabian understand how Saudi Arabian women domestic communities criticize the are treated unfairly under the male Absher application. The public guardianship law system. understands that what needs to be The publication of the report from campaigned for is rejection of regulations HRW had a great impact on the regarding women travel permits, not emergence of campaigns that rejected about Absher applications. male guardianship law. One of these Continuation of the lack of campaigns appeared on Twitter social response from the government regarding media using the hashtag #سعوديات_نطلب_اسقاط_الواليه the letter sent by HRW was the publication of a report entitled "Boxed In: (#TogetherToEndMaleGuardianship) Women and Saudi Arabia's Male on July 17, 2016. One criticism was Guardianship System" on July 17, 2016. delivered by @WenzelWichalski account This report contains the ins and outs of which is an activist of human rights in the male guardianship system, restricting Germany, writing “Violence against freedom of movement, violence against women must be punished, not women, and women inequality. HRW facilitated. #Saudi also includes stories of Saudi Arabian #TogetherToEndMaleGuardianship”. women who have been living under male This hashtag eventually became trending in several countries, especially countries The hashtags used in Twitter in the Middle East that have similar rules. social media have proven to be able to The demand of this campaign is to ask the mobilize the movements of domestic and government to end the male guardianship international communities to find law system in Saudi Arabia. Activists common mission. Through social media assume that women of legal age have the Twitter, activists can spread information right to make decisions and take and gather support to enter the next stage responsibility for themselves. In Saudi of the social movement, namely the Arabia, women are treated like a child petition. On September 26, 2016, a who needs his guardian's support and petition was filed demanding the approval to carry out an activity. elimination of male guardianship law to Another hashtag that was also the Royal Court, after it was signed by used to mobilize a campaign of criticism 14,700 people, both men and women against male guardianship law is (The Arab Daily , 2016). This petition is IAmMyOwnGuardian). a follow-up to the#) #أنا_ولية_أمري This hashtag was first used by the #IamMyOwnGuardianship and @MsSaffaa Twitter account on October #TogetherToEndMaleGuardianship 13, 2012, but has not yet attracted many campaigns that are rife on Twitter, supporters. Only after HRW published its showing positive trends in favor of Saudi report, the public both domestically and Arabian women. The petition delivered internationally began to use this hashtag by Aziza al-Yousef, in the end did not get to express support for the elimination of a response from the Royal Court and male guardianship law. One criticism of instead activists received criminal using this hashtag is criticism from Saffaa sanctions because this action was on September 5, 2016 who said, "It's considered a crime against Islam and its unbelievable that #saudi women r continued threat to the Saudi (are) treated as minors forever. community. This fact has increasingly #togethertoendmaleguardianship drawn criticism and protests that #iammyownguardian”. Even this continue into the following years. hashtag continues to be used today for After a long journey, the now shows protest against male government of Saudi Arabia abolished guardianship law issues that have never the rules regarding the requirement for been resolved. permission from male guardians for women who want to access government international community on government services, except for certain regulations on policy, it can more or less be considered April 17, 2017. But after 3 months of by a decision maker. One of the demands review period, the government actually that was finally fulfilled was that tightened the rules in other fields namely women's right to drive was legalized. the need for permission for women to go This demand also went through a long abroad, get a passport and get married. process, considering the law in force in One of the rules highlighted by Saudi Saudi Arabia is Islamic law. So as to Arabian domestic society is about become a complete social movement it is permission to travel abroad, this rule is better to be supported by the international considered to violate the women's community whose position is not bound freedom movement. In The Universal by a particular country. Declaration of Human Rights states that After the success of the demand "Everyone has the right to freedom of for driving rights, activists and the movement and residence within the domestic community increasingly borders of each state ... [and] to leave any intensified their campaign to abolish the country, including his own, and to return rules for women travel permits. However, to his country" (Human Rights Watch , because it was not supported by the 2017). Women travel permit rules clearly international community, this campaign contradict this rule because women must did not emerge as an important agenda obtain permission from their guardian if for the government of Saudi Arabia. they want to go abroad. Until finally in May 2018, the Criticism and protests that have government of Saudi Arabia began to led to the regulation of women travel crack down on human rights activists permits are still dominated by the because it was considered to be against domestic community. While the religious rules and disturbing the stability international community tends to of the country. Some activists such as criticize male guardianship law related to Loujain al Hathloul, Eman al Nafjan, driving access for women. The role of the and Azizah al Yusuf were eventually international community is very large in sentenced to prison for campaigning social movements in Saudi Arabia. against the rejection of rules that prohibit Although it cannot be a definite women from driving and demanding the benchmark in seeing the influence of the elimination of guardianship law (Amnesty International, 2018). This considered to facilitate violence, government action was used to stop the especially in families. criticism and public protest against the One case of seeking asylum due to government of Saudi Arabia. violence is a case that occurred with Opportunities for the public to express Rahaf Mohammed, a Saudi Arabian criticism of the rules of guardianship or woman who fled to Thailand on January especially women's travel permits are 5, 2019. Rahaf uses social media Twitter getting smaller because of the threat from to seek support and protection from other the government. However, this does not countries. On January 7, 2019, through apply to the international community his Twitter account, @ rahaf84427714, which continues to massively voice the he wrote: "I seek protection in rejection of guardianship law through particular from the following country social media, although it has not Canada / United States / Australia / specifically addressed the issue of women United kingdom, I ask any if it travel permits. Representatives to contact me." The rules regarding women travel Support began to emerge from the permits imposed in Saudi Arabia not only international community by using the restrict Saudi women from traveling, hashtag #SaveRahaf with the aim of going to school and working abroad, but urging countries and international also prevent women from seeking asylum organizations to provide protection for in other countries. During this time many Rahaf. Saudi women have experienced both In addition to the international physical and mental violence caused by community which individually provided the rules of guardianship law. According support to Rahaf, many international to Human Right Watch data, almost 35% online media also reported on the case of Saudi women have experienced including Independent news media, violence committed by their guardians BBC, The Guardian, AlJazeera, The (Human Rights Watch , 2017). Women Irish Times, and others. These media also as victims cannot report cases of violence played a role in bringing the Rahaf case experienced because the rules of to international scope. In reporting on guardianship law are often used as a this case, the media criticized the reason for men to commit violence. The women's travel permit which prevented existence of male guardianship law is Saudi women, as victims of male guardianship law, from seeking asylum condemned Absher. The news stole the abroad. This case eventually triggered the attention of many people, especially from entry of the international community to the international community, who are be involved in the campaign against concerned about the application which is women's travel permits. considered to support practices that In contrast to the above media suppress women's freedom in Saudi which emphasizes women's travel Arabia. Criticism that developed on permits, Businessinsider media instead Twitter social media was accompanied highlights the Absher application as an by a viral hashtag Absher (#Absher). application used to track the whereabouts Interestingly, the hashtag is not only used of women. In a story titled "Saudi Arabia by the international community to Runs a Huge, Sinister Online Database of criticize absher applications, but also to Women that Use Men to Track Them be used by domestic people who were and Stop Them from Running Away", it previously more inclined to use the Absher; in Arabic), to) أبشر was mentioned that Absher's service hashtag prevented Rahaf from escaping Saudi express their support for absher Arabia (BusinessInsider, 2019). Through applications. For example, the account the Absher application, the male @salah500007483 on March 3, 2019, guardian and the government can which wrote: “عاجل شركة #قوقل بعد الحملة الفاشلة : لن نحذف determine whether or not Rahaf can go تطبيق #أبشر كونه غير مخالف ، ونحن نقف مع abroad, this is the reason why he went to االستخدام الذكي للتقنية #السعودية" #قوقل ,seek asylum after being in Turkey #Google #ابشر #Absher #افضل_تطبيق_ابشر because the Absher system is not #وزارة_الداخلية ” affiliated with the immigration agencies of other countries. (Parties who press #Google after a failed campaign: we will not remove the Changes in Movement After the News #Absher application because it does not about the Emergence of the Absher violate existing conditions, we support After news about the Absher the use of #Google #Absher #Google application published by international #Best_Appsher #MinistryofInterior) media Businessinsider appeared and The existence of a discourse on became a hot discussion on Twitter social Twitter that supports or rejects the media, many international communities application by using #Absher, makes information about the absher progress Cook on February 12, 2019 in his and becomes a concern of various groups, interview with National Public Radio. ranging from human rights activists to the Cook stated that he had not heard of the United States politician, Ron Wyden. case and planned to investigate possible Ron Wyden is a senior senate who violations. When Cook appeared to be represents the state of Oregon, United trying to avoid further questions, Google States of America and has a concern for still had not yet responded to the case human rights. He was the first US (Businessinsider, 2019). On February 13, politician to criticize Absher. However, 2019, Wyden reiterated his demands on in contrast to the international Apple and Google in his Twitter post. community who criticized the existence This post got 636 likes and was re- of absher applications that perpetuate a tweeted 298 times. Wyden's post initiated patriarchal culture in Saudi Arabia, the emergence of demands from the Wyden paid attention to the giant international community who also technology companies, Google and questioned and criticized Google and Apple that provide these applications in Apple. Google Store and Itunes services that can Apart from the international be downloaded easily by various parties. community, demands sent by letter to Wyden argues that 'western' technology Apple and Google were also delivered by companies that should uphold 14 members of the United States democracy and human rights fully, congress, including Ilhan Omar, Member should not act as if they support of the State of Minnesota, Yvette D. violations of women's freedom of rights Clarke, Member of Congress from New in Saudi Arabia and say that "the Saudi York, and Jackie Speier , Member of Arabian system that controls women is a Congress representing the state of terrible thing" ( Insider, 2019). Wyden California, on February 21, 2019. They sued Google and Apple to remove the demanded that Google and Apple's Absher application in their service by investigation of the Absher application be sending a letter to Apple's chief executive published and refer to the two big officers and Google, Tim Cook and companies as "accomplices in Sundar Pichai on 11 February 2019 oppression," in the letter they also stated (United States Senate, 2019). Wyden's that "Twenty first century innovations demand was finally responded to by should not perpetuate sixteenth century tyranny. "The letter also comes with a that reports on the Case of Maha and time limit for apple and google Wafa Al Subaie and his criticism of companies to respond to these demands Apple and Google. Maha and Wafa Al- until February 28, 2019 (Congress of the Subaie themselves are two brothers who United States, 2019). But unfortunately, fled from Saudi Arabia in April 2019 by no further response from Google or stealing a cellphone and using their Apple. (Insider, 2019) father's Absher account to buy plane Critics of Google and Apple who tickets to Turkey and give permission to provided the Absher application in their travel without a guardian, with the main service were also conveyed by Maha and goal of the state of Georgia. The country Wafa Al-Subaie, a former Saudi citizen of Georgia was chosen because it does who is currently a Georgian national. not require a visa for citizens of Saudi They argue that technology companies Arabia to live there. (Google and Apple) will help bring about With the case of Maha and Wafa change if they pull the Absher application Al-Subaie, campaigns which have voiced from its service. As Wafa said, "If [they] criticism of the Absher application on remove this application, maybe the Twitter social media have been massively government will do something," (The encouraged. The number of discourses Guardian, 2019). This statement received that have emerged and also pressure from a response from the international the international community since the community on Twitter who also beginning of 2019, forced the government criticized Google and Absher, such as the to consider abolishing the rules for @MRaymondonIR account on April 25, women travel permits. Previously, men 2019 which wrote: under 21 years of age and women of all “Saudi Sisters Urge Google and ages were required to get permission from Apple to Pull Inhuman Woman- their guardians to travel abroad. But on Tracking App @ Google and anyone August 1, 2019 the government passed an else facilitating the distribution of the amendment to the royal decree, one of #Absher app should behammed. which allowed Saudi Arabian women to #techabuse research shows get a passport without the approval of #humanrights effects @ leotanczt their male guardians. One of the @UCLSTEaPP "This tweet is also amended rules is Royal Decree M / 24 accompanied by a time.com news link article 2 which states that passports can only be issued to Saudi male applicants several major obstacles such as who are replaced with Royal Decree M / differences in norms from Islamic law 134 which says "[a] passport may be with international gender regimes. The granted to anyone who has Saudi fact that gender equality issues have not citizenship. "With this new regulation, been included in the agenda of the Saudi Saudi Arabian women are no longer Arabian government is also a reason for required to travel together with their male the difficulty in demanding the guardians (Library of Congress, 2019). elimination of women's permits. The government also abolished the Demands regarding the abolition features of the women's travel permit in of Women Travel Permit regulations the absher application service. This step began to become a concern and agenda of is considered to be able to bring changes the government since the news of the in efforts to eliminate gender absher application which was considered discrimination in Saudi Arabia. to perpetuate patriarchal culture became viral on Twitter social media. This news Conclusion received a lot of attention and sympathy Campaigns that have arisen to from the international community and criticize gender discrimination in Saudi even US politicians. They demand the Arabia, particularly in the Guardianship abolition of the Absher application and Law, began with movements originating want the adoption of the norms of global from domestic communities. However, gender equality. The massive discourse the movement has not been able to put and international criticism on Twitter's pressure on the government because there social media can finally influence the is no participation and interference from Saudi Arabian government in amending international actors. Here the media has regulations on the elimination of the a big role to internationalize cases related women's travel permit feature on the to Women Travel Permit so that it can be Absher application. The amendment is known and become a concern of the expected to bring a better change to the international community. The movement lives of Saudi Arabian women. aimed at criticizing and demanding the abolition of women travel permits faces

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