Saudia women to get notified of divorce via SMS
Updated | By Jacaranda FM
Saudi Arabia has a new 'text law' that aims to inform women in the country when their husbands divorce them.
Saudi courts will use an SMS or text message to let women know when they are divorced.
READ ALSO: Saudi prosecutor seeks death sentences as Khashoggi murder trial opens
The new law came into effect on Sunday and has been lauded as a great way to end secret divorces and to protect women's rights. According to the country's Ministry of Justice, the Saudi courts started to send such notifications on Sunday in "a step aimed at protecting the rights of female clients, and enhancing digital transformation with more services."
CNN reports that these text messages include the divorce certificate number and the name of the court where women can pick up the documentation.
Suad Abu-Dayyeh from global rights group, Equality Now, told Aljazeera that in most Arab countries, men can just divorce their wives.
"At least women will know whether they are divorced or not. It is a tiny step, but it is a step in the right direction," she added.
This new law comes as Prince Mohammed bin Salman has started to give women more freedom in the country, this includes lifting a ban on women driving in 2018.
Saudi has also allowed women to enter sports stadiums, previously a 'male-only arena', and the country is also pushing for bigger participation of women in the workforce.
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