Saudi Arabia's first domestic violence campaign: Advert features woman with black eye showing beneath burka.

Saudi Arabia's first domestic violence campaign: Advert features woman with black eye showing beneath burka.(DM).This arresting image of a Saudi woman, her bruised eye visible through her burka, is the first ever anti-domestic violence advert in the oppressive kingdom.

In what could be a sign of long-awaited progress for the female population of Saudi Arabia - where all women must have a male guardian - the No More Abuse campaign is intended to encourage victims to report domestic violence.

The advert shows the female victim, who is clad in a burka that masks all but her eyes, gazing into the camera above the message: 'Some things can't be covered'.

Beneath the caption are the words: 'Fighting women's abuse together'.

The advert is the work of the King Khalid Foundation, a charity established by the family of the late monarch, who ruled from 1975 until his death in 1982.

A translation of a statement on the foundation's website reads: 'The phenomenon of battered women in Saudi Arabia is much greater than is apparent on the surface... is a phenomenon found in the dark.'

It described a 'comprehensive system to deal with violence and abuse of family in order to provide legal protection for women and children from abuse in Saudi Arabia.'

Domestic violence is believed to be endemic in parts of Saudi Arabia, where women - regardless of age - live under the control of a male relative who acts as their guardian.

They require the permission of their guardian for everything from opening a bank account to accepting a marriage proposal.

The patriarchal system means many instances of abuse go unreported.

In 2009, the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap report ranked Saudi Arabia 130th out of 134 countries for gender parity Read the full story here.