Marital training may soon become compulsory for all Saudi men and women intending to get married, a source at the Justice Ministry said. The ministry has decided to take the step and may soon make it official due to the rising number of divorce cases in the Kingdom, Al-Madina newspaper reported Wednesday. According to official statistics, about 66 percent of divorces take place in the first year of marriage. Rules already require a complete medical checkup for hereditary diseases and AIDS before marriages are officially certified. A marital training certificate will also be required along with the medical report for marriages to be officially recognized. The ministry has also established marriage reconciliation offices in law courts to settle marital disputes before they reach judges. “These offices have succeeded in solving about 80 percent of disputes,” the source revealed. Based on the success of the experiment, the ministry is making plans to remove these offices from courts and to make them autonomous with well-qualified counselors. There are about 37 marriage reconciliation offices in the Kingdom, the source added.
