The UK stabbed activists campaigning for women's rights in Saudi Arabia in the back by allegedly voting for the country to join the UN Commission for Women's Rights, a woman who was arrested for "driving while female" has said.

Manal al-Sharif made history in 2011 by filming a video of her driving in the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom and posting it on YouTube, where it got over 700,000 views in one day.

As a result of the video, she was arrested and spent a week in prison for the offence of "driving while female".

She accused the UK and other democratic governments who reportedly voted for Saudi Arabia to join the UN Commission for Women's Rights of damaging the struggle to end the country's guardianship scheme.

"They didn't confirm or deny, but we know that UK voted for Saudi Arabia to be in the UN commission for women's rights. This is really bad for our movement. This is really bad for our struggle," Ms Sharif told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"I always say to the democracies: use your liberty to defend my liberty. What happened was really a backstab from countries like Belgium and the UK. This was not the support we were expecting."

Saudi women conduct silent walking protest over right to drive

The UK Foreign Office refused to deny voting to put Saudi Arabia on the commission, while Belgium's prime minister apologised for his country's vote in favour.

Ms Sharif, who said encouraging women to drive "is a symbol of civil disobedience" and change in Saudi Arabia, before speaking out against the kingdom's guardianship system.

"I'm 38, a mother of two, a computer engineer and I'm still a minor. There is no legal age for me that I'm considered adult. I'm a minor from the time I'm born to the time I die," she said.

"I'm like a property that's moved from my father, to my husband, to my brother if I don't have a husband, or my son."

10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemen’s Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdom’s Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as “inciting people against the authorities”. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabia’s clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his ‘confession’. At Dawood’s trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty

She added: "This is the guardianship system. Driving for us is an act to challenge that. It's an act to call to end the guardianship system and consider us full citizens in our country."

When asked if she could imagine a time when the guardianship system will end and there will be equal rights in Saudi Arabia, she said: "There will be that time. There will be the time when women drive their own lives and become in the drivers seat of their own destiny. And that time is when women choose.