Divorce, no matter the culture in which it takes place, is usually a painful event. Its burdens tends to fall on women harder than men, particularly so in which women’s rights remain unprotected by both law and society. This piece from Arab News reports on a conference on the rights of women and children following divorce in Saudi Arabia. The conference offered recommendations on how the plight of those women and children might be improved. One of the first steps is to get government and Shariah courts to stop acting as a barrier.
Links to the recommendations [In Arabic only] can be found at the Saudi Divorce Organization website.
Forum suggests measures to protect divorced women
Sara T. Al-Bassam | Arab NewsDAMMAM: More than 100 women, officials and legal experts discussed women’s and children’s rights in divorce in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday at a Dammam forum and issued more than 70 legal, social and cultural recommendations.
The conference at the Asharqia Chamber for Business Women in Dammam to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was held under the patronage of Princess Jawahir bint Naif. Its goal was to examine the legal, institutional, societal, familial and emotional difficulties of divorce for women.
The divorce rate has increased in the Kingdom, reaching 60 percent in 2007, prompting the need for an institutional system to safeguard women’s rights in divorce.
“Divorce is bitter-tasting — even to men who understand the importance of family and care about it,” said Haifa Khalid, head of the Saudi Divorce Initiative and an organizer of the event. “But women and their children are the weaker side in any divorce. There still isn’t a system in place that understands their needs.”
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November:28:2008 - 10:43
I hope there will be some reform in Kingdom regarding womens issues. I think allowing women more rights in a marriage in Saudi is a huge step, as the Kingdom has the one of most rigid followings of Sharia Law. Also, I think it is safe to assume that the husband files much more than wife in Saudi, as the laws in Saudi make it difficult for a wife to divorce her husband.
November:28:2008 - 10:43
Swedish correct in which you said it is difficult to divorce her husband in Saudi.
The article said< “In addition to being unaware of their rights, many women stay in an abusive marriage thinking it is better for their children. “Her patience toward an abusive husband is not a benefit to society,” said Al-Zahrani. “On the contrary, she is raising a broken generation which inherits this behavior.”
I couldn’t agree more with the above statements!