‘You’ve been divorced’: Saudi Arabia to notify women by text message when husband leaves
- Government says policy aims at ‘protecting the rights’ of women, who often keep living with ex-husbands without realising they were divorced
- But rights groups say knowing about a divorce does not mean a woman will get alimony or custody of her children
Saudi Arabian courts will notify women by text message when their husbands have been granted divorces under a law that took effect on Sunday.
The initiative came about after concerns a growing number of Saudi men were not telling their wives they were divorced.
Lawyer Somayya al-Hindi told Okaz and Saudi Gazette that Saudi courts in the past heard many cases of women still living with their ex-husbands without realising they had been divorced.
“This will put an end to any attempts at cheating or impersonating the identity of women to take control of their bank accounts and property using previously issued powers of attorney,” Hindi said.
Lawyer Nasreen al-Ghamdi said Saudi courts regularly receive complaints about impersonating the identity of divorced women.
At least women will know whether they are divorced or not