Saudi Arabia girls' council under fire for all-male launch

A new council encouraging women's participation in Saudi Arabia has faced criticism for not having any women at the event's opening.

Saudi Arabia's new girl's council has been questioned over its lack of women at the initiative's launch. Source: Twitter

The launch of an inaugural girls’ council in Saudi Arabia's al-Qassim province has sparked controversy, with a seemingly female-free panel at its unveiling.

Images from the launch of the Qassim Girls’ Council show just over a dozen men on stage, but no women or girls.

According to the BBC, they were in a nearby room and connected via videolink.

A state policy of gender segregation is strictly enforced in Saudi Arabia, with contact not permitted between unrelated men and women.

The council is led by Princess Abir bint Salman, the wife of the province’s governor, Saudi prince Faisal bin Mishaal bin Saud.

In an address to the crowd, the prince reportedly talked of his hopes that the initiative, the first of its kind within the kingdom, would help give women more opportunities.

The three-day conference featured speakers who encouraged the country to expand women's rights, including giving them the right to drive.

Saudi Arabia has faced criticism in the past for its record on gender equality, with women not allowed to obtain a driver's licence or travel without permission from a male relative or guardian.

Just last month it celebrated its first ever Women's Day.

- with agencies