Saudi courts will not approve the marriage contracts of brides of unknown descent unless the Ministry of Social Affairs had previously approved the contract, said Justice Minister Muhammad Al-Issa.

This measure has been taken to prevent girls with such a social status being taken advantage of and to maintain their rights by studying the circumstances of the suitors who have approached them.

The step comes after the Ministry of Justice received a circular from the undersecretary for Social Care and Development at the Ministry of Social Affairs concerning girls who were under the ministry's custody and who got married without its approval.

The Ministry of Social Affairs cares for more than 217 orphans. All girls live in houses of the ministry across the Kingdom.