Court grants divorce to woman abandoned for over 20 years

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

The High Sharia Court has granted a Bahraini woman a first irrevocable divorce after determining that her husband had abandoned her and failed to provide any support for more than two decades.

The court found that the man had left the country in 2004 and had neither returned nor maintained contact with his wife or their daughters. Despite a previous court order instructing him to cover their financial needs, he failed to comply.

Representing the woman, lawyer Sadiqa Al Muwali told the court that her client had remained legally married but was left without any form of support or communication. She submitted that since June 2004, the husband had severed all ties, forcing the woman and her children to rely entirely on her family for their living expenses.

Family members who appeared as witnesses confirmed that the woman had been residing with her father since her husband’s disappearance and that her relatives had borne the burden of care throughout the years. Supporting documents submitted in court indicated that the husband had ignored prior legal obligations.

After reviewing the witness testimonies and documentary evidence, the court concluded that the case met the criteria for a first irrevocable divorce under Islamic family law, citing abandonment and non-maintenance as sufficient grounds.

The ruling makes clear that the husband has no right to return to his wife unless a new marriage contract and dowry are established. The woman, in turn, is required to observe the statutory waiting period (iddah) before entering into any new marriage.