http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=66914&d=13&m=7&y=2005
Wednesday, 13, July, 2005 (06, Jumada al-Thani, 1426)
Saudi Mother's Legal Nightmare in 16th Year
Arab News
JEDDAH, 13 July 2005 - It is not unusual for a divorce case to take a
couple of years, but one Saudi man from Makkah who deserted his pregnant wife
in 1989 has succeeded in using the courts to avoid his responsibilities for 16
years, leaving his wife unsupported and a 16-year-old daughter essentially
without a legal identity for her entire life.
For the 48-year-old Saudi woman, it has become an unbelievable,
never-ending legal nightmare of fruitless search for her lost rights. Her
daughter's legal documents in hand she bounces between police departments and
court corridors, Al-Watan reported. She is the heroine of one the longest and
strangest cases in Saudi courts.
"I got married 17 years ago, but my husband left me after one year of
marriage when I was pregnant with our daughter," the woman said. "And when I
had delivered and had our daughter, he didn't even bother to ask about her and
hasn't even seen her until now."
A mother's love is a powerful force, and she found ways to insulate her
daughter from her so-called father's neglect.
"This in turn compelled me to enroll her in private schools loaded down
with its expenses because she didn't have any formal identity as I couldn't get
her birth certificate in the beginning," she said. "My sister who worked in the
same hospital managed to get the certificate for me later."
The legal system has proved to be of little value in this case.
"I've been filing charges against my ex-husband since the birth of my
daughter in Makkah to look into his desertion of us during this entire period,"
she said. "I've been demanding that I be divorced from him as well as have my
daughter's identity legally verified."
If you don't want to take responsibility for your family, it is fairly
simple - just don't show up in court. "He doesn't attend court, which, of
course, prolongs the waiting period, with my case going from judge to judge,"
she said, "especially since he's refusing to have my daughter added to the
family ID card."
Of course, his daughter cannot complete her studies without an ID, but if
you have never seen your daughter or supported your family, a child's
educational goals are relatively unimportant - about as unimportant as making
the woman you deserted wait 16 years for her divorce papers.
Lawyer and legal consultant Omar Al-Khouli said there are different
opinions regarding court procedures that have actually led to the postponement
of final rulings in some cases and in which defendants use the system to
essentially wear out their opponents. "There are loopholes," admitted
Al-Khouli. He says they should be closed to ensure speedier court proceedings.
"How can the young girl study, be medically treated, travel or exercise
her basic rights if she doesn't have an ID?" Al-Khouli asks.
Of course, in defense of the father, he may have a perfectly logical
explanation for his behavior. After all, you should be able to come up with a
pretty good excuse if you get 16 years to prepare it - that is, if he decides
to show up in court to offer it.
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