A US woman has been trapped in Saudi Arabia for a year after divorcing her husband, thanks to the country’s extremely male-biased guardianship laws.
In Saudia Arabia, divorce and guardianship laws grant men almost complete control at every stage of the process and even after the divorce has already taken place.
Bethany Vierra and her 4-year-old daughter have been forbidden from leaving the country or being granted legal residency by her ex-husband, a Saudi businessman.
Saudi Arabia’s strict guardianship laws require that all females have a male guardian who decides nearly every important decision in their life.
As of now, Vierra is in limbo as an illegal alien in Saudi Arabia but unable to return to the US and doesn’t even have access to her bank account.
Thailand law and the Thai constitution provide for equal protection of both men and women, married, single or going through a Thai divorce. However, Thailand also allows for Sharia law in certain southern provinces to handle family cases including marriages and divorces.
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