DAMMAM — The Ministry of Justice has reported that there were six cases of forced marriages thus far this year. A source from the ministry said Riyadh and Eastern Province have two cases of forced marriages each, Al-Hayat said. “Qassim and Makkah have recorded one case of forced marriage each. Forced marriages are weddings that happen without the consent of one of the spouses. According to the ministry's statistics, the recorded case were all cases of marriage without the consent of the wife,” said the source. The source also said in 2014 there were no cases in Eastern Province while Riyadh had five. “Makkah also had one case of forced marriage in 2014. In 2013, Makkah had four forced marriage cases which was more than what Riyadh had, only one case. Other family and marriage cases are more prevalent such as custody battles, alimony, divorce and adhl cases (when a man obstructs the marriage of a woman under his guardianship),” said the source. Lawyer Salim Al-Mihaimid said forced marriages are a new phenomenon in the Saudi legal system. “This proves that more and more women are becoming aware of their rights. The causes of such cases are usually familial and tribal discrimination. The Saudi society had not had such cases in a while but discrimination in marriage has begun to resurface,” said Al-Mihaimid. He added there is no clear or automatic verdict in cases of forced marriages. “The judge can nullify the marriage contract if the investigation proves the wife was indeed forced. The same applies if the husband was forced into the marriage. “The consent of the two spouses is essential for the validity of the contract,” said Al-Mihaimid. Lawyer Ahmad Sarhan said women are becoming more aware in our society. “Before forced marriage issue cropped up in our local courts, women were already filing adhl cases against their fathers,” said Sarhan.
