A total of 30 Saudi female law and Shariah school graduates started legal counseling training Saturday to help the country's increasing number of female divorcees. This is the first time such a training program has been launched in the Kingdom, reported Al-Hayat Arabic daily. The program aims to cut down on the rising number of divorces, prevent the abuse of wives by their husbands and help women with divorce proceedings. The four-month course has been organized by the Mawaddah Foundation and is taught by Shariah, law and sociology specialists. Princess Sarah Bint Musa'ad Bin Abdul Aziz, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Mawaddah Foundation, warned about the negative effects of divorce. “Female divorcees suffer more than widows and orphans because husbands abuse their Shariah rights and benefit from the long legal proceedings. In addition, many female divorcees are not aware of such procedures nor are they aware of their Shariah rights.” Female divorcees and their children suffer because husbands and fathers do not provide housing and alimony. Fathers also take revenge by preventing their children from seeing their divorced mothers, Princess Sarah added. Princess Sarah said the female counselors, who will finish their course in four months, will ensure justice for many female divorcees. The course will introduce Saudi trainees to personal status cases including marriage, divorce, alimony, custody, rights of visitation and inheritance, Princess Sarah explained. She said the trainees will also learn to understand the feelings and circumstances of divorced women; and those wives whose husbands have been away for a long time. “It also introduces them to legal communication skills, how to deal with pressure, build self-confidence and prepare legal petitions.”
