Previously, domestic violence was dealt with under Islamic Sharia law -- which in the form taken in Saudi allows mild forms of violence against "disobedient" wives. King Khalid Foundation

Saudi Arabia has passed an unprecedented law that criminalizes domestic violence against women, children and domestic workers, a human rights official said Thursday. Rights activists hailed the development but cautioned that Saudi Arabia, named by the World Economic Forum as one of the five worst countries in which to be a woman, still has a long way to go.

"This is just the beginning, and it's an excellent step, but the road is long," Ibrahim Almugaiteeb, president of Human Rights First Society in Saudi Arabia, told Al Jazeera. "It will be like the civil rights movement was in the United States."

The new legislation aims to protect people from all forms of abuse and offers them shelter as well as "social, psychological, and medical aid," according to its text. Those found guilty could face prison sentences of up to one year and up to 50,000 riyals ($13,300) in fines.

The conservative kingdom has long faced criticism for lacking laws that protect women and domestic workers from abuse.

Previously, domestic violence was treated under a general penal code based on Islamic Sharia law. Judges were left to decide according to their personal interpretations of Sharia codes -- which were often seen as permissive of mild forms of violence against "disobedient" wives -- and generally treated domestic violence as a private matter.

The Protection from Abuse law, approved by the cabinet on Monday, comes several months after a local charity began a nationwide campaign to combat violence against women.

The King Khalid Foundation campaign's main poster featured a woman wearing a veil that showed one of her eyes blackened. Underneath the picture, a caption read: "Some things can't be covered -- fighting women's abuse together."

"Our task is immense, and it doesn't stop with this government step -- it's partially psychological," Almugaiteeb said. "In this society, women have always been made subservient to men."

Women in Saudi Arabia often face social stigma or even legal punishment for publicly disclosing that they have been victims of physical, sexual or psychological abuse -- a taboo which prevents many from reporting the crimes.

"Usually children are involved, or there's no alternative for the woman," Almugaiteeb told Al Jazeera. "Sometimes she wants to keep up appearances that she has a happy family."