Women call for fair family laws

Despite ongoing legal and organizational efforts to give justice to women, they are still unjustly treated because of the delay in ruling in divorce, custody and alimony cases, women said in wide-ranging interviews. Women interviewed by local media say they feel it is important to issue a code for these cases, to avoid variations and to speed up procedures. Other say the solution is to issue a complete civil status law to curb individual judgments that could obstruct women’s issues. Many women suffer a great deal in courts when dealing with divorce, custody and alimony cases. Recommendations set forth by some women include speeding up procedures and intensifying efforts to issue a code for judicial rulings, deducting alimony from the husband’s monthly salary and enforcing severe punishments on husbands who attempt to deny women and children their rights. Noorah Abdullah, 40, said she got married in her 20s to a difficult husband. Because of his bad attitude, she was shunned by her brothers. He abused her physically and verbally and treated her with disrespect in front of her daughters. “He forced me to teach in a school,” she said. “I live in my late father’s house. When I went to court to file a complaint, he threatened to take away my daughters. After that I stopped taking any action.” Sarah Ali’s family helped to get a divorce because of her husband’s bad treatment. They gave him a dowry of SR30,000 and returned all his gifts. After the divorce, he refused to pay alimony. “We need a law that enables the judge to estimate the children’s needs, and deduct the money from the husband’s salary, because it is his duty to look after his children, regardless of any conflict,” she said. “I got married at the age of 19,” said a woman identified as Hasnaa. “I lived with my husband for 12 years because of my children. When my eldest daughter was diagnosed with a psychological ailment because of her hatred of her father, I decided to get a divorce. Two years have passed since I moved back to my parents’ house, but I still didn’t get the divorce, because he never comes to court. He pays very little money for the children. He told me he will grant me a divorce if I pay back the dowry” “Islamic Shariah was always concerned about women’s rights and some judges and Shariah courts are exploring the possibility of turning Shariah into clearer laws. We need religious scientists and capable judges to find suitable solutions for these problems,” said Abdullah Basfar, secretary-general of the Holy Qur’an Memorization International Organization. If a family is subjected to violence, the abused woman should live next to a trustworthy man who monitors her situation and files reports on her behalf. “We have competent judges who can fix the amount of alimony according to husband’s financial abilities, especially if she has any children,” he said. Weak religious beliefs are behind these increasing problems. Some men treat women and children as their property. Islam calls for the fair treatment of women and children. Most abused women are married to drug users, claimed Basfar. “Many women keep quiet because of social custom, and fear of scandals which gives men the chance to persist with their behavior,” he added. Lawyer Adli Hammad said part of the problem is the absence of a reference code for men and women. “It is true that Shariah lays down general rules, but it does not specify the details. Drafting a civil status law in the Kingdom, only needs a few steps to be completed,” he said. A code will speed up the work of the judge, because the regulations will be clear, said Hammad. Said Al-Fadel, a lawyer, said women find it difficult to prove their cases, because relations between men and women are secret and confidential. “No benefits will come from this law, because Shariah is the source of legislation in the Kingdom. Delayed rulings in these cases are caused by the husband’s absence and the large number of notifications in addition to women’s ignorance of the correct procedures in demanding their rights,” he said. Source: Arab News