They leave their homeland due to abuse and gender control, but may struggle when they arrive due to lack of support.
“It’s particularly isolating, lonely and difficult [when they get to Australia],” she said. “They usually try to avoid the Saudi community. They have each other. There is an informal support network. But everyone is very afraid and doesn’t know who to trust.
“There are cases of people whose families are trying to convince them to come back, trying to blackmail them.”
Saudi Arabia has undergone major social change since the Alsehli sisters left in 2017. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to – as a profile in The Atlantic put it earlier this year – make it “one of the most strangers in the world in a place that could plausibly.” call yourself normal.”
Tourist visas, which did not exist before late 2019, are now easy to obtain. Former Bachelorette stars Georgina Love and Lee Elliott took a trip there to promote the holiday earlier this year. Golfer Greg Norman promoted a golf tournament funded by Saudi Arabia.
Women can now drive and eat in restaurants with men. The country has banned the marriage of children under the age of 18 for both sexes, and the law now requires women to tell if their husbands have divorced. Women can also apply for a passport and travel abroad without the permission of a male guardian.
Hessah al-Ajaji drives his car down Riyadh’s busy Tahlia Street after midnight for the first time in June. Credit: AP
Modernization has caught on more quickly in the cities than in the countryside, and it is difficult to know to what extent women’s freedoms are embraced in Saudi homes.
A Human Rights Watch report found that life for Saudi women is still difficult. They still have to get the approval of a male guardian to get married, get out of prison or get certain types of health care.
“Women also continue to face discrimination in relation to marriage, family, divorce and decisions regarding children, including child custody. Men can still file cases against daughters, wives or female relatives under their guardianship for disobedience,” he said.
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Roger Shanahan of the Lowy Institute said Bin Salman’s domestic reforms have been important, driven in part by a “genuine belief that you can’t keep the genie in the bottle”. However, he was able to push through the reforms by “essentially neutralizing” his potential political opposition.
“That’s how he gets the CIA to believe he was complicit in the execution of [Jamal] Khashoggi [a dissident who was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 by agents of the Saudi government].”
A statement from the Saudi Arabian embassy on the deaths of the two sisters said: “Based on the guidelines of the wise leadership with the attention and care it provides to Saudi citizens, the consulate contacted immediately with the competent Australian authorities to find out the reasons for the unfortunate incident.
“The consulate also expresses its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased.”
If you or someone you know has experienced domestic violence and needs help, call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), the National Family Violence and Sexual Assault Service. You can also contact life line (13 11 14).
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