UAE woman divorces husband after finding about his second wife

Abu Dhabi - The husband had also been mistreating her and her children.

An Emirati woman divorced her husband after 30 years of marriage when she discovered that the man had a second wife and had fathered children with her. The woman told the court that her husband had also been convicted of unethical behaviour, which damaged her reputation as a wife. 
The woman had applied for divorce at the Abu Dhabi Family Court after she found out that her husband, with whom she had two daughters, married a second woman. The man had two boys with the second wife.
In her law suit, the woman said besides marrying secretly, her husband had been mistreating her and her children and that he often abandoned them for weeks without giving them financial support.
The woman also alleged that her husband's immoral acts had tarnished her reputation in the society and therefore, she can't continue to stay in the marriage.
The woman had demanded that the court grant her custody of her two daughters who are still in school. She said she didn't trust the man's behaviour and that the girls' future would be spoilt if they stayed with their father.
Official court documents showed that since 2014, the woman had tried to divorce her husband on three occasions, but counsellors at the family reconciliation department had successfully persuaded the couple to settle their issues amicably.
However this time, the court decided to grant the woman divorce after the reconciliation efforts failed as she insisted on putting an end to the relationship. The woman stressed that she could no longer withstand her husband's unethical behaviour.
Her lawyer Ali Al Khajah said besides the man mistreating his client and her daughters, which warrants for a divorce, the woman was psychologically distraught when she found out that her husband had secretly married another woman and didn't reveal it to her.
The lawyer said it was hard for his client to continue staying in a marriage where she longer found any harmony.
The court also gave custody of the couple's two children to their mother and ordered the father to provide them with accommodation and financial support.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Abu Dhabi