Saudi Human Rights Commission Steps In To Force Divorce of 12-year-old to 80-year-old man

The on and off again marriage of a 12-year-old Saudi Arabian girl to an 80 year-old codger, cousin of her father, is back in the spotlight as human rights lawyers take on the case to force a divorce. Initially the mother and daughter, both of whom had been dead against the marriage, had approached the courts to get the young child a divorce. Neither the father nor the old man thought there was anything wrong with the fact that an octogenarian was marrying a prepubescent girl. Of course, the father was getting a bunch of money for selling his daughter to the old man, and the old man was getting a sweet young body to keep him warm at night, even though he already had several wives.

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Last week there was news that the mother had withdrawn the request for a divorce, giving no specific reason as to why. Although the little girl was quoted as saying it was out of respect for her father.

"I agree to the marriage. I have no objection. This is in filial respect to my father and obedience to his wish," she said despite earlier objections from her mother.

Who knows why there was a change of heart, although there is speculation the mother might have settled for monetary compensation, but this week the Saudi human rights commission decided to step in and join the debate, anyway. Hoping to affect eventual change, with respect to child marriage laws in Saudi Arabia, the commission hired Sultan bin Zahim, a lawyer who will petition for a divorce on behalf of the young girl.

“We became involved in this case as a public rights issue... This case is still valid even after the mother withdrew," bin Zahim said.

This is the first time the commission intervenes in a case of child marriage in the kingdom, an issue that was previously seen as a "family affair" and outside of the commission's realm of duty.

As a result of this case, the government formed a committee to protect young girls under 18 from being coerced into marriage without their consent. And human rights activists believe it has to start with educating the people.

We need to affect public opinion and I believe that Saudi Arabia will issue a law preventing child marriages soon.'

Zuhair al-Harthi, a member of Saudi Arabia's advisory Shoura Council, said that a draft law on banning child marriages was being studied by a government committee. But activists fear it could be a while yet before this law is passed.

'Such a law will take a long time to be passed as there are social, religious, and cultural aspects,' said Mufleh al-Qahtani, chairman of the National Society for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia.

Harthi said a quicker way to address the issue could be for the government to ban notaries from performing marriages for girls under the age of 18 years, which would be an intervention on an administrative rather than legal level

It looks like Saudi Arabia might be making a little progress, if this indeed does pave the way for a ban on child marriages, although without outright banning the practice a young child could still be unduly influenced by a parent to marry. Children, for the most part, want to please their parents, so who is to say the child wouldn't still be an unwilling participant.