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.
