PHOTO
23 July 2016
Riyadh - Official data shows 40,394 divorces took place in 1436 H, including marriage annulments; 133,687 marriages were contracted last year.
But while the Justice Ministry statistics point to an increase in the phenomenon, the real situation could be a lot worse as the so-called concealed divorces and separations are kept unannounced for some time, with husband and wife trying to hide them for the longest possible period.
Hidden divorces are not recorded in Shariah courts and specialists in the field claim there are many such cases. Judicial sources say a large number of marital disputes lead to divorces, but initially they often leave the couple on non-talking terms that can last for several years.
"When courts listen to the parties, many couples admit having had old differences without them reaching the courts or any charitable advisory society specialized in working out reconciliation," said one source.
Mohammad bin Ali Al-Radi, director general of Mawaddah Charitable Society, described hidden divorces as a major problem threatening the fabric of the Saudi society.
"They exist inside homes because of disputes between the spouses. The two keep living under the same room without any kind of relation, including physical. They just live under the same roof for the sake of their children," he said.
Sometimes the problems could be solved "through guidance and counseling extended to the families through a hotline. Our society has family counselors working around the clock. In addition, the society has allocated 120 hours of training in order to provide services on daily basis", said Al-Radi.
Last year, he added, the society's hotline received more than 45,000 calls from people seeking solutions to their family problems.
Experts say the hidden divorce is more dangerous to the family than divorce.
The spouses pretend to live as if married, but they are completely isolated from each other in all aspects of life, say experts who attributed the persistence of this situation to the fact that people often greatly fear being labeled by the community as "divorcees."
Psychoanalyst and expert in family and community issues Dr. Hani Al-Ghamdi confirmed that many Saudi couples suffer emotional coldness in such cases.
He stressed that in the majority of married couples do not know how to patch up their relations.
"They are unaware of courtship, tolerance and forgiveness. They are not frank with each other and cannot sit together to talk things out. Dialogue is absent from their relationship," he said.
A recent study confirmed that the hotline for counseling contributed significantly to a drop in family problems leading to divorce.
The study noted showed that the level of education of the spouses plays an important role; better educated couples are less likely to have such problems.
Riyadh - Official data shows 40,394 divorces took place in 1436 H, including marriage annulments; 133,687 marriages were contracted last year.
But while the Justice Ministry statistics point to an increase in the phenomenon, the real situation could be a lot worse as the so-called concealed divorces and separations are kept unannounced for some time, with husband and wife trying to hide them for the longest possible period.
Hidden divorces are not recorded in Shariah courts and specialists in the field claim there are many such cases. Judicial sources say a large number of marital disputes lead to divorces, but initially they often leave the couple on non-talking terms that can last for several years.
"When courts listen to the parties, many couples admit having had old differences without them reaching the courts or any charitable advisory society specialized in working out reconciliation," said one source.
Mohammad bin Ali Al-Radi, director general of Mawaddah Charitable Society, described hidden divorces as a major problem threatening the fabric of the Saudi society.
"They exist inside homes because of disputes between the spouses. The two keep living under the same room without any kind of relation, including physical. They just live under the same roof for the sake of their children," he said.
Sometimes the problems could be solved "through guidance and counseling extended to the families through a hotline. Our society has family counselors working around the clock. In addition, the society has allocated 120 hours of training in order to provide services on daily basis", said Al-Radi.
Last year, he added, the society's hotline received more than 45,000 calls from people seeking solutions to their family problems.
Experts say the hidden divorce is more dangerous to the family than divorce.
The spouses pretend to live as if married, but they are completely isolated from each other in all aspects of life, say experts who attributed the persistence of this situation to the fact that people often greatly fear being labeled by the community as "divorcees."
Psychoanalyst and expert in family and community issues Dr. Hani Al-Ghamdi confirmed that many Saudi couples suffer emotional coldness in such cases.
He stressed that in the majority of married couples do not know how to patch up their relations.
"They are unaware of courtship, tolerance and forgiveness. They are not frank with each other and cannot sit together to talk things out. Dialogue is absent from their relationship," he said.
A recent study confirmed that the hotline for counseling contributed significantly to a drop in family problems leading to divorce.
The study noted showed that the level of education of the spouses plays an important role; better educated couples are less likely to have such problems.
© Arab News 2016
