Group seeks minimum age for Saudi marriages

By Andy Sambidge
  • Thursday, 1 January 2009 10:18 AM
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The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) is set to recommend to Saudi authorities a ban on marriages of underaged girls.

The organisation is seeking to establish a minimum age of 15 years for girls to be married in the kingdom, the Saudi Gazette reported on Thursday.

Dr Saleh al-Khathlan, deputy chairman of the NSHR, told the paper the move was based on several court rulings on cases of underage girls married to men tens of years older than them.

In the past two months, there have been 10 cases of underage marriages in Hail, Jizan, Asir, Taif and Unaiza, he said.

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Posted by: Osama Monday, 5 January 2009 9:40 AM[UAE] - United Arab Emirates

Who makes such laws? 15?!

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Posted by: Aadil Friday, 2 January 2009 6:25 PM[UAE] - South Africa

I support this move. It should be implemented everywhere in the Islamic world. It's time to stop under-age marriages for good.

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Posted by: Ron Friday, 2 January 2009 12:23 PM[UAE] - uae

Are you kidding me? How about free will?

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