The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has affirmed that Islamic law (Sharia) has ensured fair equality between women and men based on the principle of integration in terms of rights and duties. The Kingdom focused on including the issues of women and girls within its future vision relating to its plans and programs of the developmental objectives of the Millennium for 2015 and beyond that date to cope with the era requirements and needs starting from respecting the rights of women and girls as a key element in the success of the society to the promotion and activation of their roles in families, education and health in addition to the provision of employment opportunities for them and protect them from physical and psychological violence and taking the best means to protect them from trading or exploitation. This came in the Kingdom' speech delivered yesterday by the Deputy Head of the Permanent Delegation of the Kingdom to the United Nations, Advisor Dr. Abdulmohsen bin Farouq Elias before the session of the United Nations Commission on Women Status during the discussion of the 3rd item on challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for the benefit of women and girls. Dr. Elias pointed that within its efforts to complete the 3rd objective of the Millennium Development Goals concerning the empowerment of women by 2015, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has issued a number of laws that guarantee the right of women and strengthen their status through their participation in political and public life, including the national decisions made recently about women's participation as a full member in Majlis Al-Shura and to occupy 20% percent of its seats at minimum, a high percentage compared to international standards for the participation of women in national parliaments, as well as their participation to vote and stand as candidates in the upcoming elections for municipal councils. The Deputy Head of the Permanent Delegation of the Kingdom to the United Nations also confirmed that in the field of application of the rights, the Kingdom has never overlooked the application of maintenance and protection of the rights of expatriate workers, especially the rights of domestic female workers, whereas the Kingdom has taken, in this regard, the required national control mechanisms, regulations and procedures that guarantee the rights and protection of foreign domestic female workers.
