Friendly violations of human rights in a friendly and stable dictatorship

"In Saudi Arabia, where the legal system is based on an extreme interpretation of Islam that is heavily weighted against any women, and doubly prejudicial to impoverished migrant workers, a lot of these girls don’t have a prayer if they get in trouble. The economies of the countries they come from are hugely dependent on the money sent home by those employed in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, so the governments often are leery of challenging the treatment they get. Only in the last few years, after horrific incidents reported in the press, have the Philippines and Indonesia pushed to establish better legal frameworks protecting their citizens in Saudi Arabia. (The case of the diplomat’s servants in Washington may shed light on how well those agreements are being observed.)" (thanks "Ibn Rushd")