Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The criminal reconciliation unit in the Public Prosecution has successfully ended the case of a young woman who fled her family home six months ago because she was not allowed to get married. The woman claimed that she was a victim of adl (male guardian refusing to marry off a woman in his care), domestic abuse and physical violence. The woman filed a complaint against her family and told the court that her legal guardian refused to allow her marriage to go ahead and was abusing her. The criminal reconciliation unit of the Public Prosecution stepped in and was able to end her case peacefully by reconciling her with her family. The unit called her brother who became her guardian after the death of her father and explained to him the seriousness of adl, which is against the teachings of Islam. He was convinced and the case was sealed. The brother agreed to take his sister home and marry her off. The woman returned to her home after an absence of about half a year. According to sources, the Public Prosecution was endeavoring to expand the criminal reconciliation unit to cover all parts of the Kingdom. Lawyer Ahmed Al-Mihaimeed welcomed the move describing its project as pioneering. He said the family reconciliation will protect the families from disintegration over petty differences and will boost social responsibility. Mihaimeed said the reconciliation unit is aimed at providing families with proactive guidance that will keep them together, reconcile their differences after finding acceptable solutions. He said the Public Prosecution is determined to strongly deal with the misuse of guardianship so that no woman is harmed.
