It should be no surprise when you hear that Saudi Arabian women have been and are continuing to be oppressed. We consistently hear devastating news about the mal-treatment of the rights of a women and the oppression that doesn’t stop. An app that was recently brought to society’s attention, called Absher. This app, sold on the Google Play Store and Apple Store, allows users to do government related activities such as check their mail and apply for visas, but also makes it too easy for the male gender to control women.
Absher App Layout: Source Thought-Notes
What does Absher facilitate?
Absher is an app that allows Saudi Arabians to skip government lines and do most of their services with a touch of a button, making their lives easier. What it is not promoted, is that it allows Saudi men to keep track of all their information as well as any dependents, like women. With one tap a man can track any and all times a woman has shown her passport and can just as easily decline a journey or shorten it, if he feels the need to. Yes, in Saudi culture men do hold a certain responsibility over their family, but is this app making it too easy to abuse/oppress women?
Is this really controversial?
As mentioned previously, Saudi Arabia has a certain culture, and this allows them to proceed how they choose to. But the question is… should American companies be facilitating the use of this app? We strive to help the oppression of women in the middle east and a good first step is by not allowing our companies to make money from this app. We should not allow the life of any woman be controlled by an app.
At the end of the day cultures will practice what they choose to practice, but we can take a step forward and put a stop to unfair justice.