Saudi Ministry of Justice to Launch Alimony Fund Modelled on UK's Child Maintenance Service

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Ministry renews commitment to supporting women, with interim financing for divorcées

The Saudi Ministry of Justice is planning to launch an alimony fund similar to the United Kingdom's Child Maintenance Service, in an attempt to empower mothers and provide sustainable living and support, for them and their children.

The alimony fund is dedicated to women who are divorced and facing difficulty in securing monthly expenses from their former husbands. The fund is designed to cover their expenses until a verdict can be reached as to the amount the husband should pay.

"I am so grateful for this fund," said Um Ahmed, a recently separated mother of three. "I am going through a divorce, with no stable source of income for me or my children. My main dispute with my husband was his lack of financial commitment towards me and my kids. This fund will force him to commit financially and will also ensure my children's needs are met."

The fund will be financed by divorced husbands, who are required by law to submit payments to the fund, which are then paid to enrolled women and children. Even if the husband fails to pay on time, the fund still covers the expenses of the enrolled mothers without delays and deducts the amounts from the husbands.

"We are looking forward to see this fund up and running," said the Ministry of Justice. "The ministry has planned well to ensure its sustainability. We researched many similar funds worldwide, such as the Child Maintenance Service in the UK, and used the experience to build a fund that is right for the country. We want to ensure the ministry can act quickly to provide practical solutions for divorced women and their children. We want to demonstrate our steadfast commitment to women in our society and move forward towards the realization of National Transformation Program and Vision 2030, which represents a better future for all our people."

According to the ministry's plan, the number of expected beneficiaries of the fund is expected to reach around 155,000 by 2022.

Saudi Arabia has recently launched several initiatives in support of women in general, and Saudi women in particular, both in civic life and in the workplace. The efforts by the Ministry of Justice are designed to complement those initiatives, delivering help for women in providing for, and raising, their children.