An 8 year old girl has been denied a divorce from her 58 year old husband by a Saudi court. The court has ruled that the girl is unable to divorce her husband until she’s reached puberty.

Surely that’s backwards??? It should be that she can’t marry him until she reaches puberty, not the other way round!!!

The girl’s mother filed for divorce on her behalf in August after the father and his friend, the groom, arranged the marriage between them. Their lawyer, Abdullah Jtili, stated

The judge has dismissed the plea because she [the mother] does not have the right to file, and ordered that the plea should be filed by the girl herself when she reaches puberty.

Incredibly the girl doesn’t even know that she’s married, and case is very complicated under sharia law.

Clarisa Bencomo is from Human Rights Watch, and she says that even when the girl reaches puberty she may not be able to appeal for divorce as many judges won’t even allow a woman to speak to them directly, without going through a man.

Clive Bellmore