The number of Saudi women marrying citizens of other countries increased in 2011 compared to previous years, according to a Ministry of Justice report. The report showed that 1,988 Saudi women and 2,640 Saudi men married to foreigners last year. Most of the women were in Makkah, while Riyadh came second, Eastern Province third and Al-Baha with the least number of interracial marriage. Yemen nationals topped the list with 456 marriage contracts, followed by Kuwaitis with 351 contracts, then Qataris, Syrians, Emiratis, Egyptians, Lebanese and Pakistanis. Dr. Tawfiq Al-Suwailem of Awaser Society shared his views to Arab News on the topic.
Can you tell us about Awaser?
Awaser is a charitable society that works as per the Royal Decree that stated that we must look after Saudi families abroad. All our tasks are done under the umbrella of the Ministry of Interior. Late Prince Naif was the honorary president of the society. We receive our directives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that connects us with more than 100 Saudi missions abroad.
Can cases be identified around the world?
Awaser can be reached through Saudi embassies and consulates or through the media and internet. Plaintiffs with cases can communicate with the society via its website, calling the unified international phone number and fax. When applying, the applicant has to have official documents including the marriage contract and children’s birth certificates.
What is the assistance you provide to Saudi families abroad?
What we do is facilitate matters like issuance of national ID cards, which we do through approaching the Ministry of Interior that in turn approaches the Civil Status Department. We ensure that their financial state is good: allocations (amounts of money) are transferred to Saudi missions every 3 months to be disbursed as monthly allowances for the families. School materials, winter cloths and two Eid allowances are also disbursed for them every year.
Of the most difficult cases is when a Saudi marries a woman abroad and does not tell his family in the Kingdom. In case of death, the non-Saudi woman would come here wanting to prove the marriage in court. In some cases, the heritage would have been distributed before the family is aware of the second (foreign) wife and her children who have a right to it, and in that case the second wife would go through the trouble of acquiring her children’s share of the inherited property and money.
When children are proven to be the offspring of a Saudi, arrangments are made with the embassy to facilitate the entry of the mother to Saudi Arabia. Arrangements are also made with the Al-Bir society in Riyadh who would provide them with temporary accommodation until their status is rectified.
Offspring of Saudis abroad are included in the Saudization program and we already have a number of them here now working as technicians and accountants.
