Saudi courts have received 128 case requests for “khula” (female request for divorce) in the last 35 days, according to statistics issued by the Justice Ministry on Thursday.

Khula in Shariah is where a woman secures her divorce through offering financial compensation to the husband, which begins with returning her dowry, but often includes what the husband sees as additional expenses incurred during the marriage.

The largest number of such cases were reported in Riyadh and Jeddah, which account for around 56 percent of cases.

Jeddah courts have received 23 cases and Riyadh courts 21.

In Gurayat, 11 cases were reported, while in Al-Ahsa, seven cases were filed.

Ghazi Al-Shammary, a family consultant, said that khula reflects the social justice established by Islam, as it allows women to divorce their husbands like men divorce their wives.

“One of the main reasons why wives ask for divorce is because they are mistreated and neglected by their husbands,” he said.

“Such cases are on the rise because of forced marriages, wide age gaps between the spouses or incompatibility,” he said.

Al-Shammary emphasized the need to develop a family culture to reduce the growing number of divorce cases in the Kingdom. “Men and women should attend special courses on how to lead a successful married life. They should both learn about what it takes to make a marriage work,” he said.

“Most wives and husbands are unaware of spousal rights and as such, attending courses is of paramount importance,” he said.

Al-Shammary demands that such issues be taught at school. “I recall that we were told about such issues at school. Students need more elaboration on these matters. It’s the only way they will learn,” he said.

He said cases of khula are not new, since such cases had been reported in the era of early Muslims.

“Khula does not necessarily mean that the husband was bad. Sometimes, the problem lies with the woman,” he said.