RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission (HRC) has recommended speedy enactment of a new marriage law that would set 18 years as the minimum age for marriage. In a statement, the Commission recommended the speedy passage of the law that prohibits marriage under 18, considering it as childhood phase. It noted that this was indicated in the Saudi laws and regulations such as Article1, paragraph 5 of the Juveniles Law, Article 1, paragraph 5 of the Child Protection Law, and provisions of Law to Protect Against Abuse and the Law to Combat Human Trafficking Crimes. The HRC noted that the Article 1 of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which the Kingdom is a party, states that all people under the age of 18 come in the purview of the definition of child. The commission explained that it had carried out studies along with a number of agencies about the negative effects of early marriage, which is under the age of 18. HRC stated that the enactment of such a law would strengthen the protection of the right to form and bear the building of family in order to maintain the continuity of married life and peaceful life. The commission pointed out that studies have proved that early marriage has negative physical and psychological effects. It noted the need for complete physical and mental growth of the spouses so that marriage does not pose a threat to them, and to ensure its eligibility in terms of social, psychological and physical aspects. The marriage age should also be conducive to promoting psychological and social parity between husband and wife.
