RIAZ, Jan 10: Saudi Arabia has banned the marriage of minors through a ruling by the Kingdom’s Shoura Council that approved fresh regulations for minor marriages that will see to outlaw marrying of 15-year-old children and force the need for court approval for those under 18.
The council’s speaker Abdullah Al-Sheikh approved the law that called for banning of marriage of all minors, male or female, at a recent session of the council.
The ruling also received the support of two thirds of the council. Chairman of the Human Rights Committee at the Shoura Council, Dr. Hadi Al-Yami, said that introduced controls were based on in-depth studies presented to the body. He pointed out that the regulation, vetted by the Islamic Affairs Committee at the Shoura Council, has raised the age of marriage to 18 and prohibited it for those under 15.
