{"id":59991,"date":"2019-01-16T10:13:03","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T10:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/?p=59991"},"modified":"2019-04-17T17:09:42","modified_gmt":"2019-04-17T17:09:42","slug":"saudi-women-to-get-divorce-notification-by-text-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/saudi-women-to-get-divorce-notification-by-text-message\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi women to get divorce notification by text message"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Women in Saudi Arabia<\/a> will be notified by text message when they get divorced, according to a new law that came into effect on Sunday<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The new law is being seen as a way to end secret divorces and ensure women are fully aware of their marital status so they can protect rights such as alimony.<\/p>\n

The move comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)<\/a> has started to give women more rights in the conservative kingdom, which included lifting a ban on women driving last year.<\/p>\n

“Saudi courts have started to send such (divorce) notifications … a step aimed at protecting the rights of female clients,” the Saudi Ministry of Justice said in a statement on their website.<\/p>\n

It said women could check their marital status on the ministry’s website or visit the relevant court to get a copy of divorce papers.<\/p>\n

“In most Arab countries, men can just divorce their wives,” said Suad Abu-Dayyeh from global rights group, Equality Now.<\/p>\n

“At least women will know whether they are divorced or not. It is a tiny step, but it is a step in the right direction,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.<\/p>\n

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UK MPs, lawyers seek access to activists held in Saudi Arabia (1:48)<\/p>\n

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But Abu-Dayyeh said knowing about divorce does not mean a woman will get alimony or the custody of her children.<\/p>\n

In recent years women in Saudi Arabia have been allowed to enter sports stadiums for the first time, vote in local elections, and take a greater role in the workforce as Saudi Arabia tries to diversify its oil-dependent economy.<\/p>\n

But many Saudi women have taken to social media to push for more freedom, including protesting against the country’s strict dress codes that require women to wear an abaya – a loose, all-covering robe – when in public.<\/p>\n

Campaigners said the main sticking point remained Saudi Arabia’s guardianship policy, whereby women must have permission from a male relative to work, travel, marry, and even get some medical treatment.<\/p>\n

“The male guardianship system is a core issue and it must be dismantled. It controls women in each and every step of their lives. This system strangles Saudi women,” said Abu-Dayyeh.<\/p>\n

Although many have hailed the Saudi government’s reforms, these have been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent with about a dozen female activists arrested.<\/p>\n

In November, rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accused Saudi Arabia of torturing and sexually harassing some jailed female activists – allegations denied by a Saudi official to Reuters.<\/p>\n

A group of British parliamentarians and lawyers on Wednesday requested an “urgent response” from the Saudi ambassador by January 9 to allow them to speak with the held activists.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\n SOURCE:
\n Reuters news agency<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


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