Official Data: Divorce Rates Soar in Kurdistan

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Official Data: Divorce Rates Soar in Kurdistan

The concerned courts in Kurdistan, Iraq, revealed official divorce statistics for 2017-2018. Figures from the Court of Cassation showed that divorce rates in the region during this period were three times higher than in 2016.

The statistics showed that the divorces recorded in Erbil's Personal Status Court amounted to 2,985 cases in 2017, and rose to 3, 598 cases in 2018, marking an increase of 613 cases.

In Sulaymaniyah, the largest governorate in terms of population, divorce rates were 1,360 in 2017 and jumped to 4,085 in 2018. Duhok ranked third with 1,384 divorces a year earlier and an obvious rise to 1509 in 2018.

The statistics also highlighted the marriages registered in 2018, with more than 15,000 in Erbil, including 36 second marriages by men; in Sulaymaniyah, marriages amounted to 13836, including 48 second marriages, while Dohuk saw 10,902 marriages, of which 89 were second ones.

Social experts and researchers attribute divorce and separation, especially among young newlyweds, to many reasons. The most important among those reasons is unemployment resulting from the economic crisis that dominated the region in the last five years, and left thousands of youths without work and financially burdened.

Social researcher Shirin Karamiani stresses that unemployment is not the only cause behind the ascending divorce rates; other reasons, such as youth's submission to their feelings and instant desires may lead them to marriage without considering their relationship or developing marriage essentials. Therefore, most marriages based on rushed decisions end up with divorce and separation.

"Young men and women should evaluate their relationship carefully and rationally before marriage, to secure a healthy continuance of their union. The bride's family should avoid unnecessary luxurious demands that often burden the groom with heavy debts, that may lead to familial and social conflicts after marriage leading to divorce," she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

For his part, Burhan Ali, chairperson of Kurdistan's Men Union, saw that the lack of harmony between couples and their families is the most prominent reason behind the high rates of divorce.

Ali said the Union conducted a study based on surveys and samples from all governorates. It showed that 39% of divorces were caused by the lack of harmony between couples, especially the newlyweds, and that 19% of divorces resulted from the bride insistence on living in an independent house away from her groom's family; in most cases, this exposes the husband to financial difficulties, then, conflicts occur, and things often end up with separation.

Ali also said that 10% of divorces are attributed to infidelity, especially by men, as well as the misuse of modern communications devices, particularly smartphones, which have been shown to cause 19% of divorces. According to the study, the second marriage due to the lack of children, first wife's illness, a desire for polygamy, age gap, and other reasons, account for 8% of all divorces.



Diamond Necklace Possibly Linked to Marie Antoinette's Demise Up for Auction

An historic and highly important necklace set with nearly 500 diamonds weighing a total of approximately 300 carats and formally in the collection of the Marquess of Anglesey is pictured during an auction preview at Sotheby's and is estimated to fetch 1,600,000 to 2,000,000 CHF in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov 7, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
An historic and highly important necklace set with nearly 500 diamonds weighing a total of approximately 300 carats and formally in the collection of the Marquess of Anglesey is pictured during an auction preview at Sotheby's and is estimated to fetch 1,600,000 to 2,000,000 CHF in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov 7, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
TT

Diamond Necklace Possibly Linked to Marie Antoinette's Demise Up for Auction

An historic and highly important necklace set with nearly 500 diamonds weighing a total of approximately 300 carats and formally in the collection of the Marquess of Anglesey is pictured during an auction preview at Sotheby's and is estimated to fetch 1,600,000 to 2,000,000 CHF in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov 7, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
An historic and highly important necklace set with nearly 500 diamonds weighing a total of approximately 300 carats and formally in the collection of the Marquess of Anglesey is pictured during an auction preview at Sotheby's and is estimated to fetch 1,600,000 to 2,000,000 CHF in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov 7, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A diamond-studded necklace thought to be involved in a scandal that led to the eventual downfall of the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette, is being sold in Geneva next week.
The Georgian-era piece containing 300 carats of diamonds being sold by a Asian private collector in Geneva on Nov. 13 is valued at around 2 million Swiss francs ($2.29 million), Sotheby's said, although it may fetch much more.
The piece was at the center of a scandal in the 1780s known as the 'Diamond Necklace Affair' in which a hard-up noblewoman named Jeanne de la Motte pretended to be the French queen and acquired the necklace in her name without payment
A subsequent trial found the queen blameless, yet did little to alleviate her growing notoriety for extravagance which helped fuel the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette's beheading.
"It's likely or possible that some of these diamonds may have come from the famous diamond necklace that led to the downfall of Marie Antoinette," Jessica Wyndham, head of magnificent jewels sales for Sotheby's, told Reuters on Thursday.
"What we've seen is that jewelry with a noble provenance can generate a huge amount of excitement," she added, citing a pearl pendant belonging to the French queen which the auction house sold in 2018 for many times its initial estimate.
The diamonds of the original piece, crafted in 1776, were later sold piecemeal on the black market so are almost impossible to trace. However, some experts say the quality and age of the diamonds point to a match.
The necklace, which resembles a neck scarf, can be worn open or knotted at the front. One of its previous owners was Britain's Marquess of Anglesey and a family member wore it on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, according to Sotheby's.
"I think it's one of the most exciting pieces that we've had for a long time, not only with the provenance, but the design," said Wyndham.