Riyadh: Twenty-three Saudi women sued their parents last year for not letting them get married, a source at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) said.
Riyadh had 11 cases, followed by Madinah with four, and two each in Dammam, Makkah, Jeddah and Jazan, the Arab News reported citing the source.
These cases are known in Arabic as "adhl".
Suhaila Zain Al-Abideen Hammad, a rights activist and member of the NSHR, has called on the government to introduce a law to protect women from "adhl".
"It is imperative to introduce legislation that would give women the power to marry once they reach a certain age, without getting approval from their guardians," the activist was quoted as saying.
She said women are now at the mercy of their guardians.
The NSHR recently dealt with several cases where guardians refused to allow women under their care to marry because they disapproved of the suitors' tribe, or wanted to live on the women's salaries, she said.
Hammad said "adhl" could cause severe psychological trauma for women, including depression, suicidal tendencies and drug addiction.
Comments
| Quick linksNews
National
International
Regional
Politics
Education & Career
Business
Science & Technology
Health
Views & Analysis
The Funny Side
© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.
Israel has killed 1 Palestinian teen every 3 days in past 13 yearsOfficial statistics from the Ministry of Information in Ramallah have revealed that 1,518 Palestinian children were killed by Israel's occupation forces from the outbreak... More
Also Read: Clashes escalate in East Jerusalem, many injured
Modi opens Katra rail link, vows to walk Vajpayee's pathAddressing a public meeting after flagging off the train from Katra, at the foothills of the Mata Vaishno Devi temple, Modi said: "Jammu and Kashmir has passed through very trying times. It is .... More
Congress and caste parties decimated, whither Indian Muslims?By giving them frontline roles in communal conflicts, the Sangh Parivar has dignified Mochis, Khatiks (fruit sellers), Lohars (blacksmiths), Nayis (barbers), Valmikis (toilet cleaners), dhobis (laundry washers) in large numbers as Hindutva's foot soldiers..... More
Quality deficit can only be annulled by modern, advanced machines: ExpertsThe skill and talent that the weavers in Malegaon claim to have are being compromised by the outdated and discarded machines that they are using, and if they really want to survive with their ancestor's more than a century-year-old trade, they . .... More
Also Read: 'Show faith in Malegaon weavers, they have potential to return back'