Under One Roof

Did you know that in Saudi Arabia, a girl or boy under 15 years old can be legally married? There is a big case about a court in Saudi Arabia granting an 8-year-old girl to divorce her 47-year-old husband. The little girl was married to the man by her father as a payment of sorts for the debts he had with the man. What a barbaric thing to do!

Apparently, this custom in Saudi is very much legal. Marrying a kid to someone far older than her is quite the practice in this country. The United States, United Nation and even their very own justice minister are all doing something to change this law. Yes, this is, in fact, part of their law! Their justice minister is planning to enact a law to protect the rights of minors in their country.

We are in an age of advance technology. Gays and lesbians are gaining equality in the US and other western countries. But a country as rich as Saudi Arabia is still backwards with their customs. I was so appalled when I read this news. The little girl is actually living with her mother but was already married to the man. Her mother didn’t know what the father did because the two are separated. When the mother knew, she brought the case to the courts and asked that her daughter be divorced from the man. After several attempts, a victory like no other was awarded to them.

The little girl is lucky her parents are separated. Because most mothers in that country would just bow to the wishes of their husbands. It’s their custom.

The divorce is being touted as a landmark case in Saudi Arabia. This is the first time that something like this happened. And I am praying that many others will follow suit. It’s about time their barbaric customs be reviewed and discarded!

UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman said, “the right to free and full consent to marriage is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Consent cannot be free and full when either party to a marriage is too young to make an informed decision.”

*Source