The following appeared in the local media recently:

“A Saudi woman was released yesterday after spending few months in a Baha jail. She was imprisoned after she failed to comply with a court decision to pay SR20,000 to her ex-husband as part of the compensation for divorce. She was released from prison after the amount of money was collected by the Prisoner Affairs Charitable Committee and paid to the ex-husband on behalf of the woman.”

Just as women are marginalized in many situations in our society, this news item was buried deep in the paper where it appeared. This woman spent months in prison over a relatively insignificant amount of money, and was released only because the committee learned of her plight by coincidence. Had it not been for this serendipity, the woman might still be in prison.

We hesitate to write even about such heart-rending stories because we’re too ashamed and scared. Who has the courage today to say anything when it comes to questioning the legal system? Critics are often shouted down, accused of subversion or foreign influence, and even imprisoned.

As the story from Al-Baha indicates, women can end up in trouble if they seek divorce. (Under the Saudi marriage system, a woman is expected to return dowry money paid by the groom if she initiates the divorce proceeding.)

A woman is tossed into the slammer because she dared ask for divorce even if she couldn’t afford the price. On the other hand, white-collar criminals commit fraud and graft with impunity, and when a case is brought against them they use their economic power to ensure that the legal process ends up in their favor. A poor woman has no such power and ends up behind bars. Many remain in prison, hoping that the next Ramadan will grace them with freedom from their debts through periodic amnesties that are common during the holy month.

We in the media are guilty of complacency, for not exposing these injustices. Why don’t we have the initiative to tackle these stories? Why aren’t journalists lining up to demand access to prisoners to chronicle their experiences? Why do we keep quiet? Why are the messengers that do attempt to expose these injustices attacked? Food for thought.