Eleven things women in Saudi Arabia cannot do

Go anywhere without a chaperone

Not all women have the freedom to go as they please.

Saudi women need to be accompanied by a male guardian known as a 'mahram' whenever they leave the house.

And it can't be any man, as Saudi women are limited to interacting with men they are not related to.

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The guardian is often a male relative and will accompany women on all of their errands, including shopping trips and visits to the doctor.

Such practices are rooted in "conservative traditions and religious views that hold giving freedom of movement to women would make them vulnerable to sins," according to The Guardian.

In one extreme case, a teenager reported that she had been gang-raped, but because she was not with a mahram when it occurred, she was punished by the court.

The victim was given more lashes than one of her alleged rapists received, the Washington Post reports.

The Saudi Arabian government recently announced that it was considering lifting restrictions on women that would allow them to travel without the approval of their relatives, but human rights groups warn the move is likely to be vetoed by senior clerics.

Click to page 3 to discover other things women in the Muslim kingdom are still unable to do.

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