Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Courts in various regions have received a total of 617 adhl (a man obstructing the marriage of a woman under his guardianship) cases during the past two years, local daily Al-Watan reported quoting a judicial source. The source, who was not identified, said the human rights organizations have also received 55 such cases during the same period. He said tribal incompatibility was one of the main reasons for adhl. “Many guardians insist that their women should marry from their own tribe,” he added. The source revealed that the Justice Ministry is currently considering to establish special courts to deal with adhl issues, divorces and domestic violence. According to the source, Riyadh, with 102 adhl cases, tops all other towns and cities and is followed by Makkah, which has 81. He said Taif occupies third place with 34 cases, followed by Dammam, which has 24, Jeddah 15 and Al-Khobar 14. The source said some male guardians would reserve women under their guardianship for young relatives until they grow up. The source noted many parents would not allow their younger daughters to marry before their elder ones. “This has increased the number of unmarried women in our society. Some adhl cases were coupled with physical or verbal violence. “Some women were held captive in their own homes and prevented from education and going out for any reason.” The source said some parents and guardians believe many of the men proposing to marry their women are only interested in money if they are working. Ahmed Al-Attas, a mazoon (marriage official), said adhl is a social behavior presenting a threat to family bonds. “Adhl is a big reason for family disintegration and domestic violence that may end in murder,” he said. Al-Attas said women subjected to adhl usually become desperate and may go to extremes to obtain their rights and seek revenge against male guardians if they are fathers, brothers or other close relatives. Suhaila Zain Al-Abdeen, a female human rights activist, called for special laws to prevent adhl. She asked courts not to turn adhl cases against fathers into cases of disobedience by the girls. “In this case the woman will lose all her rights and be considered a disobedient person,” she said. Al-Abdeen asked for enabling women to get married without the consent of male guardians who subject them to adhl.
