A Saudi woman attorney has succeeded in obtaining another favorable judgment in a familial violence case. The attorney, who was commissioned by Family Protection Society, pleaded successfully for a number of violence victims sheltered by the Society. The woman attorney has found all judges receptive to her arguments. Rana Al-Qarni, 23, graduated from King Abdul Aziz University. She is among 40 other Saudi female attorneys representing the first batch of graduates of the Department of Legal Systems. “My father was a military man who taught us dedication and strict discipline since childhood. I was lucky to have been among the first batch of graduates of the Legal Systems Department,” Al-Watan quoted her as saying. After graduating from college, she started looking for a job: “I was lucky to apply online to the Family Protection Society and to be accepted. Upon joining the Society's staff, I had the pleasant surprise of finding Dr. Omar Al-Kholi, who taught me in university. At that time, I was elated because I knew he would back me up in preparing any reports assigned to me,” she said. Little did Rana expect to plead in court for victims of violence. However, when Dr. Al-Kholi tasked her with arguing in court in favor of a victim of violence, her career started blooming. At first, Rana was apprehensive but she regained confidence upon perceiving that the judge was sympathetic and understanding: “I received support from the Society, notably from my professor Dr. Omar Al-Kholi and I was appointed as assistant legal counselor for the Society. In all of the seven cases I pleaded for I found the judges receptive,” she added. Rana relates the story of an expatriate woman married to a Saudi for 14 years. The woman was constantly beaten up by her husband who forbade her to go out or find work. The problem was discovered when the woman's daughter, 13, informed her student counselor that her mother was verbally and physically abused by her father. One day, the counselor received a call from the girl that her father had locked up her mother in a room and that he was beating her up brutally. The counselor alerted the police and the woman, who was in the early days of her pregnancy, was rescued. The mother later drummed up enough courage to file a complaint against the husband who denied the charges. His reaction was to assault the wife, which led to his arrest and jailing for two months. After his release, the man abused his wife again, then divorced her and kicked her and her six children out. She filed an application for shelter at the Social Affairs Ministry which provided a safe place for her and her children. She then filed an application requesting to acquire Saudi citizenship and payment of alimony for her children. The matter became more complicated when the husband denied fatherhood of the child whom the woman delivered at the shelter home. The judge discussed the matter with the husband who eventually admitted having fathered the child. However, when the judge asked him to pay alimony to his children, he again declined. Based on Rana's defense arguments, the judge sentenced the man to three months in prison and 150 lashes in satisfaction of the public right and five days in prison and 50 lashes in satisfaction of the private right. The victim objected and requested maximization of the penalty slammed against her husband. Dr. Omar Al-Kholi, who commended Rana, pointed out that the Ministry of Justice is currently mulling granting licenses to fresh woman graduates of the Legal Systems Department to work as legal counselors at law firms, which would help them acquire the training necessary to later plead in court. “We are not currently asking for licensing fresh women graduates and the idea needs time to sink in until the society becomes accustomed to the existence of female lawyers,” he said. Rana's father described her as being a brave soldier. “I have no objection to her taking up defense of victims and I will always support her,” he said. __
