Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The Human Rights Commission (HRC) is legally following up the case of three Saudi men who refused to recognize their children from Misyar (secret) marriages which were, obviously, not documented. The commission said it is closely following up the case so that the concerned judicial parties would expedite looking at the case to ensure the legal rights of the children. It said the refusal of the fathers to recognize their children is a gross violation of the system of the child protection against harms and will deprive them of their rights to know their fathers and obtain identity papers. The commission said such a behavior will deprive the children from living in a stable family ambience. Saleh Sarhan Al-Ghamdi, director of the commission in Jeddah, said they received a complaint from a Saudi woman who had secretly married a Saudi man and had a five-year old boy from him but he is refusing to recognize his son. The director said there were many such cases but a large number of them were not reported. He said during the past three years, the commission was following with the concerned legal authorities three such cases. Ghamdi said during the past few days, a Saudi woman complained to the commission that she was married to a Saudi husband through Misyar and is currently living with him in the same house but he is refusing to recognize his son from her. She said her husband refused to document their marriage or issue their son with identity papers. "Our son is now five years old but my husband is refusing to admit him or issue him with the papers that will enable him obtain the nationality," she said. The woman said at the time of delivery, her husband admitted her to the hospital under the name of his first wife which was a clear case of forgery. Ghamdi said the HRC is pursing the case with the governorate and will take the case to the court if the father continued his refusal to recognize his son. Meanwhile, the Personal Affairs Court in Jeddah has issued a final ruling in favor of a girl whose father is refusing to recognize her for more than 20 years. The father, who was not identified, married the girl's mother outside the Kingdom without the permission of the concerned authorities. The court made incumbent on the father to recognize his daughter and issue her with the identity papers.
