AHMED SAAD ALBORAIE,NASSER ABDUL MALIK HASHEM
DOI: https://doi.org/The overall divorce rate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to witness successive increases both in the past and present. According to the latest statistics and reports issued by the General Authority for Statistics, the overall divorce rate among Saudis rose by 13.8% in 2020 compared to the previous year. The Hail region ranked second among the thirteen regions of the Kingdom in
terms of the highest increase in the overall divorce rate and ranked third in the number of divorce certificates issued. Without a doubt, this trend indicates a social issue that must be addressed through analysis and remedy. In 2022, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia issued the Family Law (Personal Status Law) with the aim of addressing many negative societal phenomena, including the increasing divorce rates in Saudi society. The law included a set of significant measures to combat the rise in divorce rates across the regions of the Kingdom. Among the most important of these measures is the adoption of more lenient religious opinions and juristic interpretations regarding the calculation of the number of divorces a husband possesses under Islamic law, and the adoption of the view that divorce does not take effect in many cases, in order to preserve the family unit and avoid strict juristic positions on these matters.
The law also included measures such as the prohibition and criminalization of child marriage in Saudi Arabia, as well as the prohibition of forcing girls into marriage. These measures undoubtedly contribute to curbing the phenomenon of divorce in society, as reports have shown that many divorce cases were caused by allowing child marriage and forcing girls into marriage. This study aims to shed light on the legislative measures adopted by the Saudi Family Law to reduce divorce rates in society and to highlight the role of Saudi institutions in ensuring the success of these measures.
