Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for the end of the male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia, in the first large-scale campaign on the issue.

Under Saudi law, all women must have a male guardian — her father, husband, brother or, in some cases, her son — and obtain permission from him to travel, exit prison or to get married.

Permission is also often needed to work, study or access health care in the deeply conservative Islamic country, but is not legally required.

Activist Aziza Al-Yousef, who has been campaigning against the system for a decade, said one of the key demands of the petition was for every woman to be treated like full citizens and adults.

"We never had a problem with campaigning, but the problem is there is no answer," she told the BBC.

"But we always hope — without hope, you cannot work."

More than 14,500 signatures have been collected for the petition, with even more people signing anonymously.

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The campaign began picking up in July, after a Human Rights Watch report on the issue prompted a Arabic hashtag which roughly translates to "Saudi women want to abolish the guardianship system", and the #IAmMyOwnGuardian hashtag.

The petition's author, Hala Aldosari, said the hashtag gained support among women of all ages and backgrounds.

The Saudi Government have twice told the United Nations they would abolish the system, in both 2009 and 2013.

Certain aspects of the system were reformed after both reviews, but activists say the limited changes have been insufficient and the system remains largely intact.

No official response has been given to the petition yet.