Saudi Arabia advisory body aims to end child marriage, setting minimum age limit of 15, but loopholes remain
- The advisory Shura Council has set new age limits, but young Saudi girls are still at risk if their parents can persuade courts to provide exemptions
- Child marriage occurs elsewhere, including most US states, which do not lay out a minimum age
Saudi Arabia is trying to ban child marriage through new regulations, but loopholes are leaving young girls in the deeply conservative kingdom unprotected, campaigners said on Thursday.
The Shura Council, a top advisory body to the government, approved regulations on Wednesday to prohibit marriage for girls and boys under 15, and those under 18 will need approval from a specialised court, according to council member Lina Almaeena.
Currently, the conservative Muslim country does not have a minimum legal age for marriage, and women live under a guardianship system where they must have permission from a male relative to marry, work and travel.
Almaeena said the approval by the council, which does not have legislative powers but can propose laws to the king and the cabinet, is a “great accomplishment” for the kingdom in protecting its young citizens.
“There were no marriage limitations before, so for this to be passed and prohibit marriage for a child under 15 is a huge accomplishment because you will be protecting young boys and girls,” she said by phone.