Shoaa Al Zahrani is an activist who works to expose the reality of women’s condition in Saudi Arabia, fighting the false image that reforms are transforming the lives of Saudi Women. She is a Saudi refugee living in Canada and also a member of the National Assembly Party.

In the first episode of ECDHR in conversation with Saudi women, Shoaa will talk about her own experience, from growing up in a conservative family in Saudi Arabia and all the difficulties that resulted from that, to the inability to perform daily activities without a male guardian.

Shoaa’s frustration is tangible when talking about the discrimination that women regularly face in the country, and how they are treated as minors for all their life. The discrimination she describes, is not only embedded in the country’s legislation, but also in its society; from going to the mall to choosing a major at university, the life of Saudi women like Shoaa are conditioned by their gender.

After having to leave the country, Shoaa, her husband and their two little children moved to Canada, where she became an activist and advocate for human rights in the Arab world.

If you would like to get a better understanding or deepen your knowledge on Saudi Arabia, especially on the topic of women's rights, check out our list of recommended readings here. 

Music credits: Blur And Coalesce by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.