( CNN ) -- Last month , thousands of people in Saudi Arabia opened up their newspapers to find a full-page picture of a woman with a black eye clearly visible underneath her burqa . Below the image ran the slogan in Arabic , `` Some things ca n't be covered '' , and a list of phone numbers for local domestic abuse shelters . In a culture that tends to turn a blind eye to the issue of violence towards women , it was a shocking and powerful image . `` It 's a problem that 's been swept under the carpet for years , '' says Scott Abbott , the creative director for Memac Ogilvy , the Riyadh-based agency responsible for the advert . When Ogilvy approached the King Khalid Foundation , a charity that focuses on issues of advocacy and developing the country 's non-profit sector , they were n't sure what type of reaction to expect . `` I think that there was always a real concern that , given the subject matter , it would never get through , '' says Abbott . A major push came from Saudi princess HRH Banderi A.R . Al Faisal , the foundation 's director . Though the campaign has captured the public 's attention , both within Saudi and abroad , where an English version has made the rounds online , Al Faisal says she does n't see the ad as shocking . `` My media and PR team were a bit nervous going into this , saying , 'Are you sure you want to do this ? ' '' she admits . `` I did n't understand why . I do n't understand what is so controversial . Who will say , 'Yes , it 's ok for women to be beaten up ' ? '' Read more : Women directors find acclaim worldwide . Saudi women are legally reliant on the permission of their male guardians to travel freely , driving is still a socially contentious issue and there are no laws that protect victims of domestic abuse . According to Al Faisal , however , change is in the air . `` For several years , domestic abuse was sort of the elephant in the room . There was nowhere for a woman to go if she was abused because a system was n't set up to handle that , '' she admits . Though the issue is still not completely out in the open , she notes the last few years has seen a rise in shelters that cater to female victims of violence . It has been a watershed year for women 's rights in the conservative country . So far , women have been accepted into the government 's advisory Shura Council , given the right to vote , gained entry into a range of new professions ( including engineering and law ) and granted permission to have their own IDs without guardian permission . Adam Coogle , a Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch , admits that though these measures are impressive , more needs to be done to protect women inside the country . `` There are no laws that protect women specifically . If , for example , a woman claims rape , and a man says it was consensual , she can face a counter charge of adultery , '' he says . Though there is currently no law that punishes a man for beating his wife , the King Khalid Foundation has prepared legislation that would do just that . In fact , it is the pending bill , which would decide the punitive measures abusers could face ( a mix of imprisonment , financial restitution and loss of custody ) , that spurred the campaign to begin with . Last year , the Shura Council pushed through similar legislation the foundation helped pen protecting the rights of children in abusive situations . Al Faisal is confident that the drafted legislation will meet with the same level of success . Read more : The Saudi museum with more Facebook likes than the Louvre . Coogle , however , says that Saudi still needs to overcome considerable social hurdles before the situation improves . `` Women who speak out about emotional abuse or neglect often face societal judgments . There is a prevalent attitude that if a man hits his wife , it 's acceptable , because she 's not being a good wife . '' Coogle points to a ten year old study in the Journal of Muslim Affairs where Saudi men were polled on whether they ever hit their wives -- 53 % answered yes . Al Faisal agrees that the Saudi mindset has to change and notes that a major obstacle is the naturally guarded nature of the culture . `` This is a very private society , and we tend to try to deal with things discreetly . We do not air our dirty laundry in public , as families or as communities , '' she says . `` The negative side of that discretion is that it allows abusive behavior to thrive , because it is not stopped . '' A main goal of the campaign is to create a countrywide social dialogue . In that regard , says Abbott , the campaign has been successful . `` Outside of the two days of ads we ran , it 's been printed on the front page of national newspapers , '' he says . `` People are talking about it , and it 's been largely well-received . ''
Saudi Arabia has launched its first anti-domestic abuse ad campaign . Domestic abuse is not currently criminalized in Saudi Arabia , and there are no laws protecting women from violence . The ads feature a woman who says she was beaten by her husband for refusing sex with him.