Work needed to reduce number of divorces in UAE, say FNC members

In 2008, as many as 40 per cent of marriages ended in divorce. By 2013, the rate had fallen to 25 per cent.

An increase in divorces has a negative effect on society, said FNC Member Ali Al Nuaimi (Ajman). Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National.

ABU DHABI // The number of divorces has hardly changed for the past three years, despite fears that the figure is rising.

New statistics show relative stability compared with 2008, when there were as many as four divorces for ever 10 marriages: a figure comparable with the United States.

But in 2011, figures began to fall. The courts recorded 15,105 marriages and 4,145 divorces – about 2.7 divorces for every 10 marriages.

The numbers dropped again the following year but increased in 2013 to reach 4,233. That year 2.5 divorces were recorded for every 10 marriages, more than half of which involved a UAE national.

The figures were compiled by the National Bureau of Statistics based on court records, and obtained by Ali Al Nuaimi, a Federal National Council member for Ajman.

They are considered to be too high for a society in which divorce is frowned upon.

Although intervention and counselling by the courts’ Family Guidance departments has helped to halve the number of divorce cases, FNC members say more should be done.

“The increasing number affects society negatively,” Mr Al Nuaimi said during an FNC discussion on the issue. “It’s not just about the married couples and children, but also the relationship between two families. It also means more people get social aid.”

Other members blame an increase in the number of working women, lack of government support, lack of premarital counselling and women becoming “distracted by materialism”.

Ahmed Al Zaabi (Sharjah), an FNC member and a lawyer, said petty reasons were driving women to file for divorce. He recalled one women who sought a divorce after her husband refused to allow her to meet her friends for morning coffee.

He said in most cases the reasons given for seeking a divorce usually masked greater underlying problems. With help, couples could bring their issues to the surface and perhaps resolve them.

Mr Al Zaabi said the current system of having two court-appointed judges review a divorce played a role in rising figures. He said that according to sharia, the two judges should be from the couple’s families.

“The laws governing how a divorce suit is filed are adequate,” he said. “They also have to be referred to the Family Guidance department before going to the court, which has helped a lot. But the problem could be the two judges who review the divorce suit.

“God said to bring a judge from her side and a judge from his side. But those who file the divorce always say: ‘Bring me one from the court’. The court should refuse this and insist that they bring someone from the family. Rarely would someone from the family agree to the divorce.”

He also said that for some Arab expatriates, life in the UAE was “dazzling”. A combination of materialism and the openness of society led to a quest for independence, he said.

Mosabeh Al Kitbi (Sharjah) said most reasons for divorce were financial. He called on the Government to provide newlyweds with greater financial support and premarital education.

During a debate on the 2015 federal budget he argued that the Marriage Fund’s budget should be increased.

“Eighty per cent of divorce reasons are financial,” he said. “Women want to be like other women: in cars, gold, houses, furniture.”

He also blamed women for preferring to work rather than dedicating their time to their family and husbands. He said their new-found independence made them feel financially secure and implied that it meant they no longer needed their husbands.

“Of course they have the right to work,” he said. “But there are a lot of problems because of it. Yes she can work, but not at the expense of her children and husband.

“Being a housewife is no less than being a minister.”