Abu Dhabi: Of 306 abuse complaints lodged with the Saudi Human Rights Society last year, Saudi wives filed 137 of them, or 36 per cent, against abusive husbands, local media reported.
Fathers were the subject of 89 complaints while only a single complaint against a wife was reported, an official report by the National Society for Human Rights for the year 2019 revealed.
According to the report, 306 of the total complaints were about physical and psychological violence, 15 were against deprivation by the father, 10 involved deprivation in marriage, eight each were against deprivation of education, accommodation, or work, seven were against absconding, four were against violence resulting from addiction and two were against defamation.
Oppression of women
Legal advisor Asim Al Mulla explained to Al Watan that the rules on protection from abuse included penalties against offending husbands, fathers and brothers.
The system forbids unfairness against women or the person who has guardianship over her, such as the father or uncle.
He added that the rules stipulate that a person has the right to work, education, employment, housing, independence, and any person who prevents women or harms them socially, educationally and practically, shall face one year imprisonment, a fine of 50,000 riyals, or both.
Khula cases against husbands
Cases in Saudi Arabia involving khula - divorce at the insistence of the wife in which she has to return her dowry and pay her husband a certain amount of money to cover anything he spent on her during the duration of the marriage, are on the rise.
Legal experts say Islamic law gives married women this right so they can divorce their husbands in the event the latter refuses. According to family counselors, women who bring Khula cases against their husbands have often suffered great mistreatment and abuse.
A wife can go to a Personal Status Court and file a Khula case there. She must submit sufficient evidence to support her claim. The judge examines the grounds and determines whether they should be taken into consideration when accepting or rejecting the plea.
If a judge is convinced there are valid reasons to ask for khula, he will grant one, in which case the husband must be given monetary compensation by the wife.
The judge sometimes estimates the amount of money the wife should pay the husband. The judge can also order that the woman doesn’t need to pay any money. This happens when the grounds or reasons for divorce are very strong and there is no hope in the marriage.
