Saudi Arabia issues de facto ban on child marriages with court order

Published December 26, 2019 6:05pm ET



A Saudi Arabian justice minister has instructed officials throughout the kingdom to refrain from confirming any marriage contracts that include a person under the age of 18.

The directive comes after the Shura Council, Saudi Arabia’s formal advisory body, passed an amendment to the country’s Child Protection Law earlier this year that instituted a marriage ban for children under 15 years old.

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