Kingdom`s Human Rights Report discussed 2 Geneva

All Government authorities and civil society institutions in the
Kingdom were fully involved in the report. One of the Kingdom’s main
peculiarities is its rapid transformation from a tribal society,
characterized by conflicts and widely dispersed and totally
unconnected regions where people lived in isolation and forms of
economic and educational backwardness, to an advanced phase of its
political, economic, social and cultural life. The religious
particularities, as correctly viewed in Islam, supplement rather than
undermine international human rights standards. Saudi Arabia derives
its values from all sources provided that they are compatible with
the objectives called for by the Islamic Shari’a, Al-Hussein said.

Islamic Shari'a pays special attention to the rights of vulnerable
groups such as minorities and non-Muslims. The Sharia granted women
extensive rights. The government of Saudi Arabia acknowledges that
there are some human rights violations attributable to individual
practices. Many of these violations fall within the context of
domestic violence, he added.

During the past two years, great efforts have been made to bolster
rights of children and women and promote the role of the family in
the society.

Women’s awareness of their rights has been considerably increased in
recent years through the social development centers, women’s
associations and the National Society for Human Rights which has
adopted a policy of disseminating and promoting a legal culture, in
general, and women’s rights, in particular, he said.

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