Family, sociology and law experts described early divorce among newlyweds as the end of an unequal relationship that began on incorrect foundations, including poor choice of partner, differences in personality, and lack of awareness of how to contain marital disputes.
They pointed out the negative social effects of social media, and the interference of family and friends in heating up disputes, which leads to the rapid termination of the marital relationship, stressing the importance of concerted community efforts in educating young people about to get married, about the importance of preserving marital life and developing their skills in containing disputes.
In detail, the country’s family courts have witnessed early divorce cases in recent years, some of which did not exceed a few days, including a divorce case between a resident couple whose marriage lasted 12 days. A second case was recorded after 13 days, a third after 14 days, a case after 16 days, a case after 17 days, and a case after 25 days.
Statistics from the Ministry of Justice revealed, according to the duration of marriage, last year, that several divorce cases were recorded after a marriage that lasted less than a year, cases that lasted less than a month, and cases that lasted days, the shortest of which was the divorce after 24 hours.
Lawyer Ali Khader Al-Abadi said that the reasons for divorce in the courts are many and vary from one case to another. There is an early divorce that occurs before the wedding, and is done by agreement and understanding between the spouses. For example, it occurs when one of the spouses discovers that his or her partner is not qualified for married life, or that he or she has fears of family instability or entering into a failed experience, or battles outside the context of the concept of affection and mercy stipulated in marriage. Here, the separation occurs by agreement between the spouses, and the wife returns what she received from the dowry and other things to her husband.
There are cases of early divorce that occur after a short period of marriage, as a result of discovering a disease or something that one party is hiding from his partner. Here, the injured party requests divorce because of his inability to live with the other party’s problem.
Al-Abadi stated that there are two ways to obtain a divorce: “Khulu,” in which the wife gives up her rights, and “divorce due to harm,” in which she must prove the harm that occurred to her in order to obtain a divorce.
He stressed the importance of understanding and prior dialogue between the two parties before entering into the marriage experience, so that they can avoid separation, in addition to the necessity of families not interfering in the problems that occur between spouses, because it may sometimes be a reason for early divorce.
For his part, Dr. Ahmed Al-Amoush, Professor of Applied Sociology at the University of Sharjah, confirmed that early divorce among spouses is a global problem and is not linked to a specific society, and its causes are many and differ from one society to another.
Al-Amoush stated that the main reason that leads to early divorce is the lack of compatibility between the spouses in terms of personality, interests, opinions, educational level, and other social aspects. This often occurs when the marriage is traditional, and without prior knowledge between the spouses.
He mentioned that other reasons that may lead to divorce include family interference in the couple’s life, disputes that arise between them, and each party’s desire to impose their authority over the other. However, the biggest and most common reason for the problem of divorce in our Arab societies is the high cost of dowries and marriage requirements, and the strictness of some families in financial matters, which can cloud the relationship between the two parties before it begins, and its negative effects extend beyond marriage.
Regarding the required solutions, Al-Amoush said that it is important to have a pre-engagement meeting, under the supervision of the families, so that it is an opportunity for each party to learn about the other’s personality, and determine the extent of their ability to understand and coexist with him, and then take the decision to take the next step towards completing the marriage.
He stressed the importance of the role of institutions concerned with marriage and family, in implementing awareness campaigns for successful marriage, how to achieve it, and developing the skills of those about to get married on how to contain problems with the other partner.
Family counselor Issa Al Maskari summarized the reasons for early divorce in three main factors: the first is that the marital relationship has not fully matured, the second is the incomplete experience of newlyweds, which comes from accepting and resolving differences and disputes and containing misunderstandings that occur between the two parties at the beginning of the marital relationship, and the third is receiving external messages from family, social media influencers or friends, which have a negative impact in spoiling marital life at its beginning and then divorce.
He stressed the importance of educating young people and those about to get married about the importance of preserving married life, and correcting the misconceptions among some, that divorce is the quick solution to problems, pointing out that he believes that there is a basic rule in the marital relationship, which is that it must last at least five years, during which the differences that arise in any way are overcome, and mutual understanding is ensured, so that the marriage continues for a long time.
He pointed out that some of the problems that occur between spouses may be small, and due to lack of understanding, rashness, recklessness and anger, they grow and develop and lead to divorce. If the problem is big, it can be solved with wisdom, patience and reason, stressing the importance of the role of family counselors in providing advice and guidance to both parties in the relationship to overcome their differences.
Personal status laws
The UAE Personal Status Law allows residents of the country the right to rely on personal status laws issued in their countries when considering marriage and divorce disputes between them, as long as this is in their interest.
Article 1 of Personal Status Law No. 28 of 2005 stipulates that the provisions of the law apply to UAE citizens, as well as to non-citizens, unless one of them insists on applying his law.
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