Jordanian women find freedom in divorce rights

[JoFerret]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=ourWorldNews&storyID=4930096

AMMAN (Reuters) - Suha had had enough of her marriage years ago, but she was unable to end it until a temporary law granted unhappily married Jordanian women their freedom.

"I reached a point when I said enough is enough, I cannot live this way any longer. My kids are older and I could not continue in that deadlock anymore," said 45-year-old Suha, who ended her more than 20-year marriage a couple of years ago.

She was one of the first Jordanian women to benefit from "khuloe," which gives a woman the right to divorce her husband without his consent after returning his dowry and renouncing her rights to the couples' finances.

"I got married when I was 19, it was an arranged marriage. From the very first month my husband laid out his views on marriage and made it quite clear that women were made only to serve men," said Suha, who did not want to give her last name.

"He relished in tormenting and abusing me, not to mention his mistresses, who also received the same treatment," she said. "All I wanted in the end, and after countless years of mistreatment, was my freedom."

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