MAKKAH, 6 May 2007 — For many Saudi women knowing the law is not a priority. However, being familiar with the Kingdom’s legal system would help them protect their rights and prevent people from financially cheating them.
Lawyers complain that women, being emotional, only consult them when their cases become extremely difficult to solve, which makes the job of lawyers hard.
According to Al-Watan newspaper, Umm Saleh is one such woman who was conned by a friend, who asked her if she wanted to buy a joint home on installments for their families to share. Umm Saleh agreed and purchased a house. Later her friend told her she did not want to participate. The documents were in Umm Saleh’s name.
Unable to pay the installments by herself, Umm Saleh said her friend suggested she sell the home to a man she knew, who was willing to pay the installments. The man moved into the home and then refused to pay the installments. Meanwhile, the person who sold the house initially continues to contact Umm Saleh for payment.
“This issue has negatively affected me. I have been deprived of my rights as a citizen. Charity organizations say I am not entitled to land or to even rent a home, because I am already registered as a homeowner,” said Umm Saleh.
She added that she has lodged a complaint against the man who is living in her home. “He hasn’t bothered showing up at a single session. This has happened to me because I just didn’t know much about the law. If I was a bit careful and knew about the law then I could have foreseen what was happening and planned properly,” she said.
Lawyer Ahmad Ajab Al-Zahrani said he deals with many cases of women not knowing their rights and the law. “When women do not know about the law and their legal rights, they end up quite often being duped. People entrap them. Later these women consult lawyers and legal experts. It is usually too late to do much,” said Al-Zahrani.
He added that the situation gets worse when women hide useful information, which they consider to be unimportant.
Al-Zahrani mentioned how many divorced women ignorantly re-marry and then forfeit their right to custody of their children. He mentioned the story of a rich old woman, who married an Arab expatriate.
“She married him and then he said he needed some money to pay off a debt. She wrote him a check and he fled the Kingdom. The check was later cashed and she received a letter from her husband wishing her a happy life and that he had now divorced her,” said Al-Zahrani.
“Women tend to hide their personal information, which they either feel shy to express or do not believe to be vital. However, such information tends to be crucial and important for lawyers to know. It would help if women lawyers were involved in the legal process because women would be more open to speak to them about their worries and personal information,” said Al-Zahrani, adding that this would save time and effort.
