Activists call for amending ‘discriminatory’ law on dowry repayments for divorced women

  • Date: 01-Jul-2020
  • Source: Jordan Times
  • Sector:Economy
  • Country:Jordan
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Activists call for amending ‘discriminatory’ law on dowry repayments for divorced women

AMMAN “”  Sharia courts in Jordan recorded 885 new cases of "Khul“ (divorces initiated by the wife) during 2019, an increase of 46.3 per cent compared to 2018, when 605 new cases were registered.

During 2019, 366 Khul cases were adjudicated, while 641 cases were dismissed, marking 63.6 per cent of the total cases registered, according to a statement issued by Solidarity Is Global Institute (SIGI) in Jordan.

The statement added that a total of 1,278 cases were received during the same year, according to the annual statistical report for 2019 issued by the Supreme Judicial Department.

SIGI cited paragraph (b) of Article 114 of the Personal Status Law No. 15 of 2019, which states: "If the wife, after the consummation of the marriage, files a lawsuit requesting to separate from her husband in which she states explicitly that that there is no way for marital life to continue between them, she must give up all her marital rights and return to him the dowry that she received.“

Although this text "achieves justice and contributes to solving many problems“, the condition that the wife return the dowry in full and in a single payment before the court's annulment decision is a condition "only well-off