Saudi Women Will Get Huge News by Text

Divorce can no longer be secret in the Kingdom
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 6, 2019 5:45 PM CST
Saudi Women Will Get Huge News by Text
Fans react as they watch the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.'s "Greatest Royal Rumble" event in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, April 27, 2018.   (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Big news for Saudi Arabian women: Starting Sunday, courts there will send them a text message if they get divorced, the BBC reports. The move is apparently designed to end so-called "secret divorces" in which Saudi men end marriages without wives knowing. The measure is "a step aimed at protecting the rights of female clients," says the nation's Ministry of Justice, per CNN. Saudi women will also be able to check their marital status online. It's part of economic and social reforms by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was thought of as a reformer before the shocking murder of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in October. (Meanwhile, a video may answer questions about Khashoggi's death.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X