The Minister of Justice, Saudi Arabia, Dr Walid bin Mohammed Al-Samaani, has issued a memorandum to courts and marriage officials (Maazouns) to refrain from concluding marriages for those under the age of 18.
According to a report obtained from The Week Magazine, the instructions were for courts and officials to refer all such cases to the competent courts in accordance with the Child Protection Law for final determination.
The law, introduced in 2014, has a provision that states “Before the conclusion of the marriage contract, it is necessary to ensure that a person marrying under the age of 18 will not be harmed, whether male or female”.
While not banning marriages below 18 entirely, underage marriages will need the approval of a specialised court, which must determine whether the marriage would harm the minors in question and if it is in their best interests.
In January, the Kingdom’s advisory Shoura Council approved a ban on the marriage of minors, male or female, below the age of 15.
