The plight of abandoned wives will be brought into focus during this week's Federal National Council meeting at a question-and-answer session with the Minister of Social Affairs, Mariam Al Roumi. FNC member Musabeh Al Kitbi has said he will use scheduled discussions about the proposed child rights law to call for an investigation into a rise in the number of cases where women have been abandoned by their husbands and are facing reduced circumstances.
While there are no accurate figures on the incidence of abandonment within marriage, it is likely that the number has been underestimated in some areas due to the social stigma that can be associated with the problem. Mr Al Kitbi is correct in saying that women in this situation are in a legal “limbo”, neither married nor divorced. At the least, they need to know what government assistance is available to them and how they can access it.
Even though the problem is not always of their own making, abandoned women may feel ashamed by their circumstances and reluctant to seek help. Family counsellors and dispute arbitrators are available, and women should feel comfortable seeking this help. Abandoned women are also entitled to benefits, currently set at just over Dh3,000 per month, which Mr Al Kitbi would like to see raised to Dh4,000 to bring it into line with the allowance available to divorcees.
It is not just a matter of financial compensation, however. Women who have been abandoned by their husbands have the right to legal resolution. As Mr Al Kitbi suggests, it may be that errant husbands have to be counselled towards reconciling with their wives or to be forced to seek a divorce through the proper legal channels. But women, too, must know that they can take divorce action in these circumstances. There is no shame in doing so, and there should be no impediment in regard to cost, duration of the proceedings or effort involved. In a divorce action, the parties are entitled to full anonymity, so there need be no fear of public humiliation.
In a society that values and supports family life, divorce should be the last recourse. But when women find themselves abandoned, cut off from the financial, practical and moral support that they should expect from their husbands, they must be confident that the nation’s legal system is there to protect them and their children.