Saudi Arabia has introduced a new regulation that requires courts to notify women if they have been divorced, by text message.
The new law is set to stop Saudi women from being divorced without their knowledge.
RT reports: Before the new rule, Saudi men were able to end their marriages without telling their wives. Starting from Sunday, the country’s courts will be directed to send text messages informing women that their marriages are over.
The regulation, which bears a striking resemblance to relationship-ending tactics employed by twelve-year-olds, aims to ensure that women are aware of their marital status and can take necessary legal measures to protect rights such as alimony.
Last year a decades-old driving ban on women was reversed, meaning that a Saudi female can now drive down the street while simultaneously receiving a text notification that her husband has left her. She’ll first need to get her husband’s permission to receive a driver’s license, of course. Also, her testimony before a divorce court will only be worth half that of her husband’s. Rules are rules!
Niamh Harris