DAMMAM — More than 1,000 adhl (prevention of marriage by guardians) cases were filed in courts in various regions of the Kingdom over the past 16 months, informed sources revealed to Okaz/Saudi Gazette. The source said the lawsuits were filed by women who claimed that their guardians prevented them from getting married. Courts in Makkah province heard 404 cases, while there were 214 cases in Riyadh and 130 cases in the Eastern Province. Madinah had 66 cases of adhl during the period, Jazan 54 cases, Qassim 47 cases, Asir 32 cases, Hail 13 cases and Tabuk cases. The Northern Borders had nine cases while Jouf and Najran each had seven cases. Baha came last with four cases. The source said courts in the Kingdom have a unified process for handling adhl cases. "The woman must file the lawsuit in a court in the area of her residence and the judge will call in the guardian in an attempt to reconcile them over the issue. In case the judge fails to achieve any progress in the matter, he will try to convince the guardian to pass on the guardianship to another family member," said the source. If the judge was not successful in convincing the guardian to pass on the guardianship to another family member, he will take over the guardianship of the woman in order to process her marriage documents. "There are two types of adhl. In the first type, a woman's father, brother or uncle prevent her from getting married. The second type is where the woman's sons prevent her marriage," the source said. "The judges look into each case individually. If there was any injustice against the woman such as the guardian preventing her from marriage for his personal gains or to take possession of the woman's inheritance, then the judge would serve justice to the woman," said the source.
