Another case of Saudi law badly in need of codification is highlighted in today’s Arab News. Here, a woman of limited means was ordered by a judge to pay child support following a divorce which she initiated. Her abusive husband—and the court agreed that he was abusive—somehow has custody of the children and has bankrupted the woman through the child support payments.
Amal’s case lingers in hope
Ebtihal Mubarak | Arab NewsJEDDAH: The highly publicized case of a Saudi mother of five whose picture was published in the press holding up a court verdict obliging her to pay child support in return for a divorce from her abusive husband has been halted.
Amal, 42, whose name ironically means “hope” in Arabic, told Arab News earlier this year that she applied for divorce after her husband abused her for 15 years. Producing witnesses in court to corroborate her claims of abuse, Amal had agreed to hand over ownership of a plot of land to her husband to secure a khula divorce (an Islamic concept in which a woman is able to divorce her husband in exchange for something of value).
However, the judge who presided over her case would only issue the divorce if she — in addition to the land — financially supports her children until puberty. Her husband later took the children into his custody and forced her to pay SR3,000 each month. After nine months, Amal was left destitute and heavily in debt.
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August:17:2008 - 09:48
A woman paying child support sounds so Western and modern…doesn’t it? Hmmm
About the Governmental Saudi Human Rights Society…Although I like Turkey Al Sudairi and respect him, met him etc. He needs to get off his butt a little more and I hope he reads what I am saying.
August:17:2008 - 09:50
Lawyers Kick _ss in Saudi. They rule.
However, they can’t always work for free.
August:17:2008 - 11:18
It is strange that a country swimming in so much oil money cannot provide pro-bono legal aid to its poorer citizens.
No where in the world can lawyers afford to work for free (and, to be honest, most would not). But, many countries have put together systems where indigents are not deprived of their legal rights because of their inability to pay for expensive legal assistance.
Perhaps KSA should spend less time money trying to emulate the super-malls of the West and more time and money trying to emulate their social and legal safety nets.
And requiring a woman to pay off an abusive husband for a divorce sounds like sound social policy supporting the rights of women.
August:17:2008 - 11:23
Olivetheoil…you are right!