Saudi women have been told that they don't need to apply for a licence if they want to start an accessory business. The Assistant Undersecretary for Development at the Ministry of Labor, Dr. Fahd Al-Tekhaifi told Al-Watan newspaper that labor laws don't restrict women's rights to start these businesses. His statement was about women who sell goods on the sidewalk being allowed to have their own shops in order to safeguard their dignity. Director of Al-Jubail Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ibrahim Al-Ansary, has said any Saudi woman can start a business, register it and complete all procedures by herself without a male representative. However, Al-Ansary said this doesn't apply to starting up a contracting business. A senior source at the National Society for Human Rights, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said women who sell goods on the street are deprived of their rights to have their own businesses. “The Ministry of Labor should set up a center which provides services for this category of women just like the Saudi Investment Authority does. We contacted several agencies after receiving complaints from those women who sell goods on the street in an attempt to find a solution to their suffering.” One of these women Umm Abdul Rahman has been practicing this business for 20 years and has been sitting in the same spot on the sidewalk. She sells Henna, textiles, perfumes, accessories, incense and toys. She said: “I deal with men and women every day and I run everything by myself.” She has now demanded that the Ministry of Labor issue her a licence to start her own business. The deputy executive chairwoman of businesswomen's committee at the Eastern Province Chamber Fawziya Al-Nafi'a has agreed that these women need support in starting up their own businesses. “They need us to walk them through the procedures. New laws should be formulated to help them create an environment that is sustainable for the whole family and society,” she said.
