A DREAM COME TRUE AS 10 WOMEN FROM SAUDI ARABIA RECEIVE DRIVING LICENSES

 

Saudi Arabia has issued driving licenses to women for the first time in decades just weeks before a ban on female drivers is lifted.

Ten women swapped their foreign licenses for Saudi ones on Monday in cities across the country.

However, women’s rights activists have complained of a new crackdown – with several being arrested.

A flood of applications is now expected in the run-up to 24 June when the ban will end.

The laws in Saudi Arabia require women to seek male permission for various decisions and actions, and that extends to the ban on women driving.
“Expectations are that next week an additional 2,000 women will join the ranks of licensed drivers in the kingdom,” a statement from the Saudi information ministry said.

It added that the 10 women who had collected their new Saudi licenses had “made history”.

“It’s a dream come true that I am about to drive in the kingdom,” Rema Jawdat, who received a license, was quoted as saying by the ministry.