As the Saudi Gazette reported, the Saudi Justice Ministry has set 18 years as the minimum age for marriage. The Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, Sheikh Walid Al-Samaani, enacted the new policy in a circular on December 22, 20 that was sent to all courts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
So far, child marriages have been usual in Saudi Arabia: every seventh girl marries before the age of 18.
According to the regulations of orthodox Islamic law, girls are allowed to marry from the age of nine. These Islamic law is based on the marriage of the Prophet Muhammad with his third wife Aisha, who, according to Islamic tradition (Hadith), was six years old at the time of the marriage contract and nine years old at the wedding.
According to UNICEF, around 250 million women married before the age of 15. Especially in South Asia and Africa. Reasons for a child marriage can be that parents want to marry their daughter as a virgin, or that the family wants to save the daughter’s cost of living as early as possible by transferring it to the husband.
Today, the law differs from country to country, but a minimum age of at least 16 years is now common.
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