JEDDAH: Several courts across the Kingdom have overruled the guardians of 20 women, paving the way for them to marry their suitors.

A local publication reported that it has a copy of a Ministry of Justice report showing the rulings in favor of the women who had launched legal action against their guardians.

Family courts across the nation received complaints from 701 women claiming that their guardians refused them permission to marry, even though there were no Islamic reasons preventing them from tying the knot.

Forty-five women have filed complaints with the Human Rights Commission in Saudi Arabia over the last three years because their guardians would not let them marry.

Riyadh, with 12, recorded the most complaints, followed by 10 in Jazan, eight in the Eastern Province, seven in Jeddah, five in Madinah, and three in Makkah, the report stated.

Osama Al-Qahtani, a lawyer, said that only a judge can rule against a guardian, who is then forced to accept a suitor’s proposal. He said these types of complaints make up the majority of lawsuits considered by the country’s family courts. Al-Qahtani said that most of these cases involve guardians following outdated traditions, such as not allowing a woman to marry a man from another tribe. This was contributing to the increasing number of unmarried women in the country, he said.

He said women and girls are becoming increasingly aware of their rights. There are also several organizations working with the ministry to help women who find themselves in this situation. He said a judge has the right to remove a man’s guardianship if he violates the rights of a woman under his care.