Court Ends Woman's Six-Year Ordeal with Divorce After Husband's Abandonment

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

A woman's six-year ordeal of abandonment by her husband has finally come to an end with a court ruling granting her a divorce. The case, which was brought before the Sharia Court by lawyer Fatima Ibrahim Juma, highlighted the devastating impact of a husband's prolonged absence and neglect.

The couple married in 2015, with initial hopes for a happy future. However, just one year into the marriage, the husband left the home he shared with his wife, residing with her family, without explanation. He provided no financial support or alternative accommodation, leaving his wife alone and struggling.

Despite numerous attempts to reconcile and persuade her husband to return, the woman received no response. She eventually learned that he had remarried and was living with his new wife in a separate home.

This situation left the woman isolated and burdened with the challenges of daily life without any support. She endured the hardship and loneliness for six years, relying solely on herself, until she finally sought legal recourse to secure her rights.

Lawyer Fatima Ibrahim Juma presented evidence that the husband had failed to provide a home for his wife, despite his ability to do so, as evidenced by his provision of a home for his second wife. Witnesses confirmed that the husband abandoned his wife a year after their marriage, with no communication, financial support, or housing provided. This situation persisted for over six years.

The court, in its judgment, stated that the lack of a shared home and the husband's refusal to provide one constituted a clear case of abandonment. The court noted that the husband did not own a marital home, having lived in the home provided by the woman's father. Based on witness testimony, the court confirmed that the husband abandoned his wife a year after their marriage, without any communication, financial support, or housing, and this situation persisted for over six years, proving the existence of abandonment.

The court further stated that the husband had completely abandoned his wife from 2016 until the present, leaving her in a state of limbo, neither a wife nor a divorcee, and without any financial support during that time.

The court concluded that this abandonment itself constituted a form of harm warranting a forced divorce from the husband, especially considering the extended duration and continued nature of the abandonment until the filing of the lawsuit.

The court highlighted that the legal definition of abandonment, as defined by Islamic law, was proven in this case through the complete evidence of abandonment and lack of financial support. The court therefore deemed the condition for a forced divorce due to abandonment to be met.

The court found no valid defence from the husband to refute the woman's claims. Moreover, the husband failed to appear for any court hearings, despite repeated summons, including those delivered by police, suggesting a deliberate attempt to leave the woman in a state of uncertainty.

For these reasons, the court ruled in favour of granting the woman a divorce from her husband, a first-degree irrevocable divorce due to abandonment.