Saudi Arabia's justice minister has declared that the kingdom plans to
"regulate" the marriages of young girls. He made this statement after a
court refused for the second time to nullify the marriage of an
eight-year-old girl to a man fifty years her senior.
The case of this girl, who five months ago was married off by her
father to an older man the father owed money to, attracted much public
outrage in Saudi Arabia. Popular opinion and various organizations
spoke up against this practice. The girl's mother, with the help of her
family, appealed to the courts to nullify the marriage contract.
No such luck. The court disagreed. Again.
Let's put this in some context:
Last week, a Saudi man divorced his wife by sending her a text message
that said "You are divorced," but a mother can't convince the court to
divorce her eight-year-old daughter from a fifty-year-old man.
This is the twisted logic of patriarchy, which is terribly consistent with itself.
And speaking of twisted logic, the justice minister stated that his
ministry aims "to put an end to arbitrariness by parents and guardians
in marrying off minor girls."
In other words, the practice will not be abolished; it will only be regulated. What does this mean exactly? How do you regulate the marriage of an eight-year-old child to a fifty-eight-year-old man?
I racked my brains, and here are some of the ideas I came up with:
Consultation: Before a father decides to marry off his child daughter, he needs to consult with himself.
Background Check: The father
doesn't have the right to marry off his child to just any fifty-eight
year old man. He must make sure that the man does not have any prior
sexual offenses.
Age Difference: the age difference between girl-bride and groom should
not exceed seventy years. A larger gap may interfere with marital
happiness.
Finances: The girl is entitled to some of the money the father
receives from the husband as dowry. Since the girl is underage and is
not equipped to handle money, the husband, her new legal guardian, can
receive this money on her behalf.
Education: The girl could not
be married unless proof is presented by her guardians that she
completed first grade. A school report signed by the principal should
accompany the marriage contract. Kindergarten reports are unacceptable.
Possessions: the bride should
be allowed to take some of her possessions with her: one doll, two
stuffed animals, and up to five lollipops.
Structure: This can't be
emphasized enough. Since children like routine and structure, the
husband is to sign an official document promising that he will have sex
with his child bride on regular, not arbitrary, basis.
These regulations hopefully will satisfy western, leftist, anti-family
organizations like UNESCO, which declared in a statement that
"Irrespective of circumstances or the legal framework, the marriage of
a child is a violation of that child's rights."
So extreme.
