Activist Aziza Al-Yousef
"A petition signed by more than 14,000 Saudi women calling for an end to the country's male guardianship system is being handed to the government.
Women must have the consent of a male guardian to travel abroad, and often need permission to work or study.
Activist Aziza Al-Yousef told the BBC she felt "very proud" of the campaign, but now needed a response.
In the deeply conservative Islamic kingdom, a woman must have permission from her father, brother or other male relative - in the case of a widow, sometimes her son - to obtain a passport, marry or leave the country.
Renting a flat, undergoing hospital treatment or filing a legal claim often also require a male guardian's permission, and there is very little recourse for women whose guardians abuse them or severely limit their freedom.
Human Rights Watch researcher Kristine Beckerle, who worked on the report, described the response as "incredible and unprecedented"
"I was flabbergasted - not only by the scale, but the creativity with which they've been doing it," she said. "They've made undeniably clear they won't stand to be treated as 'second-class citizens' any longer, and it's high time their government listened."
However, there has been opposition from some Saudi women, with an alternative Arabic hashtag, which translates as #TheGuardianshipIsForHerNotAgainstHer, gaining some traction, and opinion articles, like this one on the Gulf News website, arguing that the system should be reformed and applied better..." Read entire article @: BBC.com
