[oman-l] Oman grants women right of divorce

[mfont@ns.inter.edu]

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 25 (UPI) -- Women in Oman have
been granted the right of divorce under a new law that also sets the
minimum age for marriage at 18. 
	The statute, issued by decree June 4, permits Omani women to
divorce their husbands only in specific circumstances, the Gulf News daily
reports today. 
	Women may seek divorce if they are not financially supported in
the event of long separation, if their husband is missing for more than a
year or if he is jailed for three years or more. 
	They cannot file for divorce on the grounds of a husband's low
earnings, but the law establishes that the dowry paid to a woman on
marriage is her legal property. 
	It further provides men the right to bring his parents and
children by another wife to live in the matrimonial home, but denies this
right to the woman. She can, though, stop her husband from bringing
another wife to share the home. 
	It is not uncommon for Omani men to have more than one wife, as
Islam allows them four. 
	The law says the party seeking divorce would be liable to pay
compensation to the spouse. 
	It also specifies 18 years as the minimum age for marriage for men
and women and forbids matrimony between close relatives. 
	Social scientists say this could have a significant impact in
Oman's tribal society, where marriage at a young age between cousins is
common. 
  	   	

Cecile Cancel
http://coqui.metro.inter.edu/cecil/cecil.htm