Saudi women face obstacles when seeking legal justice

Saudi women face obstacles when seeking legal justice

February 06, 2016
Azizah Al-Maneh
Azizah Al-Maneh

Bayan Muhammad Zahran
Okaz

I recently learned that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of legal cases brought by women to the Kingdom’s courts. Of course, the spike in the number of cases can be attributed to the fact that more women now demand their rights and go to court.

Personally speaking, I think the reasons are multi-fold. The two most important reasons are the technological advancements we have been witnessing and the increasing use of social media. If we look at educated women and working women, we will find that their number has increased. That does not mean that all women feel they are being treated fairly; some still feel they have been deprived of their basic rights and are looking for justice.

To be fair and impartial, we should discuss and highlight some of the obstacles women continue to encounter. The first obstacle has to do with the personality of a woman herself and how she demands her rights. If she wants to file a legal case in court, she should be ready for all possibilities and should support her claims with evidence and essential information. She should not rely on emotions and feelings to prove her case.

It is essential that women acquaint themselves with the Shariah and legal proceedings as well as litigation procedures. This is the only way to help women support their claims with strong evidence and important details.

The second obstacle is social. In other words, how our society views women. Unfortunately, women, especially those in remote villages and areas, are looked down on. There are an insufficient number of social centers and civil society institutions to support women, whether in cities or villages, let alone raise their awareness about the legal procedures for filing legal cases. Young women and the elderly are usually unaware of such procedures and they do not have any idea how to file cases or do not have enough money to hire lawyers. They are in dire need of help.

The third obstacle has to do with the justice facilities. If these facilities (i.e., courts) were to provide more support to women, then women would be in a better position and would be able to find solutions for most of the problems they face.


February 06, 2016
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