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Survey reveals 46pc divorce rate in UAE

DUBAI — The divorce rate in the UAE has touched 46 per cent, the highest in the AGCC. The divorce rate in Qatar is 38 per cent; it is 35 per cent in Kuwait and 34 per cent in Bahrain. A study conducted in 2003 at the Prince Salman Social Centre in Riyadh has revealed that divorce rates in AGCC countries are rapidly increasing. Official statistics from various Islamic countries showed that the divorce rate is increasing annually and that it was higher in the Arab countries, ranging between 30 to 35 per cent, according to a Kuwaiti news agency.

Yet another study conducted by the Ministry of Planning in Saudi Arabia has shown that since the year 2003, the divorce rate in the kingdom has been witnessing a 20 per cent increase and that 33 women get divorced every day. In Riyadh alone, divorced women numbered 3,000 compared to 8500 marriages.

These statistics were revealed at a symposium titled 'Divorce and its Consequences on Local and International societies' organised by Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage in cooperation with the Diplomatic Ladies Association

Marwa Kraidieh, a social researcher at Juma Al Majid Centre, said, "The statistics seem to be not very accurate but are nevertheless alarming. As part of my work and my communication with others, I found out that there are a number of hidden reasons why couples decide to get divorced and they seldom talk about the real reasons to others, claiming reasons that are far from reality as the cause.

"The way couples were raised during childhood, when they were prevented from expressing themselves freely and clearly, is considered one of the reasons for the increasing divorce rate. Some couples prefer to keep quiet rather than come out into the open. Some men intending to divorce their wives say that the wife is reckless and disobedient and prefer not to cite the real reason such as being bored with their wives or that they were having affairs. The majority of women intending to get divorced usually claim that their husbands are misers or are reckless whereas the actual reason remains hidden."

Dr Mohammed Fathi Al Hariri blamed the media for playing a strong role in increasing the divorce rate by regularly showcasing family life as a suffocating commitment and not as a paradise of love and stability.

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