Arab News reports that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expanded its child benefits to the children of Saudi mothers and non-Saudi fathers.
In KSA and several other Arab states, citizenship can only be passed on by fathers, leaving the children of women who marry non-nationals without citizenship, which often means exclusion from the state social security system.
This move is a step in the right direction toward increasing coverage of child benefits in the Kingdom, but it also highlights the fact that many children have hitherto (and continue to be) excluded, even within the new system. The support will only be available to children whose mother has been left widowed or divorced.
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