3 in 10 warring couples patch up out of court in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - The figures also showed that family reconciliation in the first six months of 2021 reached 78 per cent.

Three in 10 couples in Abu Dhabi who applied for divorce settled their differences amicably and managed to avoid separation, thanks to the mediation by family counsellors.

The latest figures issued by the Family Guidance Section at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) have showed that 32 per cent of the total divorce cases filed with them during the first half of this year were settled out of court.

The figures also showed that family reconciliation in the first six months of 2021 reached 78 per cent.

Out of the 7,515 family disputes handled, 78 per cent of the couples reconciled and didn’t go to court, authorities revealed.

According to the judicial department, the reconciliation rate during 2020 was 89 per cent of the total 11,003 family dispute cases received.

Officials said the increase in family reconciliation and low rate of divorce is due to the relentless efforts by the judicial department’s social, psychological and legal family counselors.

Youssef Saeed Al Abri, undersecretary of the ADJD, said the family guidance programmes is a top priority to help preserve the family stability, with the aim to promote supportive initiatives to ensure the cohesion of society. It starts with the family as the first nucleus of community building.

“The increase in the rate of family reconciliation over the recent years reflects the magnitude of efforts made to help and enable spouses to resolve disputes and reach settlements and amicable solutions that satisfy all parties,” he pointed out.

Al Abri has stressed the importance of the ‘Reconciliation is Better’ than divorce initiative which was launched by the judicial department last year.

The initiative introduced innovative ways to help couples end their conflicts through intensive family counselling sessions with the help of dedicated social, psychological and legal mentors.

Authorities said from January to mid-August this year, they organised 28 counselling sessions and interactive training workshops, which were attended by 4,133 residents.

The individuals and couples were taught about the importance of married life and family cohesion, with a focus on imparting skills in managing dialogue and how to positively communicate between each other to reduce cases of divorce and its impact on children.

Al Abri added: “Communication with couples takes place through modern technology means to review and discuss their marital problems, explore their causes and suggest the necessary remedies as part of treatment plans. These plans take into account the changes that the family is going through in order to enable it to solve any problem it may face in the future.”

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi