SAUDI ARABIA – WOMEN PREVENTED FROM MARRIAGE OF CHOICE BECAUSE PARENTS REJECT, TAKING CASES TO PERSONAL STATUS COURTS

Arab News – https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/871141

27 January 2016 – JEDDAH: Personal status courts across Saudi Arabia have been handling 128 cases of women seeking to get married because their families are preventing them from doing so.

A report by the Ministry of Justice stated these were the number of complaints received over the past four months, but there were many more not reaching the courts because of social norms in Saudi Arabia.

The report stated that many parents were preventing their daughters from getting married because they did not believe the young men were suitable for them, according to a report in a local publication.

The report showed that 10 courts are handling these cases with Makkah coming in first with 45 cases followed by Riyadh. The Eastern Province has 24, Madinah 13, Al-Qasim seven, Asir five, Tabuk and Hail two each, and Jazan and Al-Baha with one case each.

Ibrahim Al-Badabi, a lawyer and former member of the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, said more women are launching cases because they are now aware of their rights, and because of rulings in domestic violence cases.

He said that the justice ministry is making sure that families, particularly male members, cannot prevent young women from getting married. Women can approach the court without their guardians under current laws, he said.