The Ministry of Justice has taken another small, yet vitally important, step to further ensure justice for women in the domestic courts.
The Justice Ministry recently announced that an alimony fund through the National Transformation Program (NTP) has been established that will provide funds for women with pending divorce cases. This will ensure women and their children meet their monthly expenses.
Once the divorce is finalized, the Justice Ministry will seek reimbursement of the funds from the ex-husband, who will then assume full responsibility for all alimony payments provided that he has the ability to pay. The primary recipients of the alimony fund are expected to be women who the court has deemed abandoned by their estranged spouses.
It is not clear as to how much the monthly stipend will be but Saudi women have been awarded alimony as little as SR633 a month, which is considerably lower than the SR862 monthly social assistance payments to the poor and needy. It would make sense that whatever alimony fund the Justice Ministry has in mind; it should at least match the social assistance provision.
Alimony cases in the Saudi courts have reached 51,835, according to the Justice Ministry. In the Jeddah domestic courts, about 10 percent of the pending 9,000 divorce cases involve alimony disputes.
The approval of the alimony plan follows two important moves by the Interior and Justice ministries last year to pave the way for easier access for Saudi women to move the courts. Last year, the Justice Ministry approved a plan that allowed women to file lawsuits in the city in which they live instead of forcing them to travel great distances to lodge a complaint against a defendant in his own city.
The Interior Ministry last year ruled that divorced women and widows can independently manage their own children’ needs by guaranteeing that mothers are allowed to seek medical care for their children, register them for school and have access to government and legal documents. Previously only fathers could grant permission to obtain these services for their children, but in many cases men withhold permission to punish the mother. This follows on the heels of the Interior Ministry’s decision to issue national ID cards to widows and divorced women, furthering Saudi women's ability to lead independent lives.
These decisions by the two ministries have gone far to loosen the patriarchal stranglehold in the Saudi judicial system that has crushed the hopes of many women across the country.
Just a few weeks ago, the Saudi courts agreed to allow 50 Saudi women the right to travel without a mahram. On the surface 50 women don’t appear to be much of a progress, but it opens the door and sets a precedent for women to petition the courts for similar rulings on their behalf.
The Jeddah Family Court recently reported that it received more than 100 cases of women demanding permission to travel after the death of their guardians. Perhaps one of the most frustrating, if not cruel, situations a Saudi woman could face is having a guardian die without making provisions to transfer guardianship. This puts many women in a limbo and they become virtual prisoners inside their own country.
Saudi women are impatient to see the process expedited so as to further guarantee their rights. And, indeed, the Justice Ministry in particular needs to pick up the pace, especially in cases of forced divorces. But as we see, change is here and it’s leveling the playing field between men and women.
The Justice Ministry recently announced that an alimony fund through the National Transformation Program (NTP) has been established that will provide funds for women with pending divorce cases. This will ensure women and their children meet their monthly expenses.
Once the divorce is finalized, the Justice Ministry will seek reimbursement of the funds from the ex-husband, who will then assume full responsibility for all alimony payments provided that he has the ability to pay. The primary recipients of the alimony fund are expected to be women who the court has deemed abandoned by their estranged spouses.
It is not clear as to how much the monthly stipend will be but Saudi women have been awarded alimony as little as SR633 a month, which is considerably lower than the SR862 monthly social assistance payments to the poor and needy. It would make sense that whatever alimony fund the Justice Ministry has in mind; it should at least match the social assistance provision.
Alimony cases in the Saudi courts have reached 51,835, according to the Justice Ministry. In the Jeddah domestic courts, about 10 percent of the pending 9,000 divorce cases involve alimony disputes.
The approval of the alimony plan follows two important moves by the Interior and Justice ministries last year to pave the way for easier access for Saudi women to move the courts. Last year, the Justice Ministry approved a plan that allowed women to file lawsuits in the city in which they live instead of forcing them to travel great distances to lodge a complaint against a defendant in his own city.
The Interior Ministry last year ruled that divorced women and widows can independently manage their own children’ needs by guaranteeing that mothers are allowed to seek medical care for their children, register them for school and have access to government and legal documents. Previously only fathers could grant permission to obtain these services for their children, but in many cases men withhold permission to punish the mother. This follows on the heels of the Interior Ministry’s decision to issue national ID cards to widows and divorced women, furthering Saudi women's ability to lead independent lives.
These decisions by the two ministries have gone far to loosen the patriarchal stranglehold in the Saudi judicial system that has crushed the hopes of many women across the country.
Just a few weeks ago, the Saudi courts agreed to allow 50 Saudi women the right to travel without a mahram. On the surface 50 women don’t appear to be much of a progress, but it opens the door and sets a precedent for women to petition the courts for similar rulings on their behalf.
The Jeddah Family Court recently reported that it received more than 100 cases of women demanding permission to travel after the death of their guardians. Perhaps one of the most frustrating, if not cruel, situations a Saudi woman could face is having a guardian die without making provisions to transfer guardianship. This puts many women in a limbo and they become virtual prisoners inside their own country.
Saudi women are impatient to see the process expedited so as to further guarantee their rights. And, indeed, the Justice Ministry in particular needs to pick up the pace, especially in cases of forced divorces. But as we see, change is here and it’s leveling the playing field between men and women.
