The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. April 27, 2017 Saudi Arabia Elected to U.N. Commission on the Status of Women -------------------------------------------------------------- At the United Nations, Saudi Arabia will begin a 4-year term in 2018 on the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, following a secret-ballot election this week. The move drew swift condemnation from critics, including UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer, who said, "Electing Saudi Arabia to protect women's rights is like making an arsonist into the town fire chief." Saudi women are required to be accompanied at all times by male guardians, who make decisions on marriage, travel, employment and healthcare. Saudi women are barred from holding many jobs and are prohibited from driving cars. .