A Kenyan woman working in Saudi Arabia has received a sentence of 100 lashes for giving birth outside marriage, according to local reports. Esther Wanja Muthoni, employed as a domestic worker, became pregnant during a brief relationship with an Egyptian man who has since left the country. She told the New York Times she feared not being able to endure the lashes, adding, “I don’t deserve this.”
Under Saudi sharia law, sexual relations outside marriage are criminalized, but rights groups argue that women are disproportionately targeted. Ekaterina Porras Sivolobova, founder of the non-profit Do Bold, notes that many unmarried women give birth in Saudi Arabia, often unreported due to home births. “Most of them give birth at home, that’s why they aren’t reported,” she said.
Muthoni’s case gained attention after she sought care at a hospital, which are required to report single women giving birth to authorities. A Guardian investigation in 2024 revealed that several Kenyan single mothers were abandoned by their children’s fathers out of fear of arrest for extramarital sex.
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This incident coincides with the postponed visit of Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, to Saudi Arabia. Alsalem intended to address specific cases during her trip but will now raise these issues through official channels.
In 2020, Saudi Arabia ended flogging for ta’zir offenses, where judges have discretion. However, flogging remains a possible punishment for hudud offenses, such as adultery, under Islamic law. ALQST’s 2021 report noted that while most flogging sentences were ta’zir cases, hudud offenses like alcohol consumption and adultery still carry this penalty.
Sivolobova emphasized the challenges in assisting Kenyan mothers, citing a lack of support from Kenyan authorities. “I haven’t been able to get help from the Kenyan authorities to support these women,” she said. The Saudi government has not commented on the case.
