Early marriage among causes of divorce – Fatimah

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KUCHING: Marrying before the age of 21, unpreparedness to shoulder responsibility and financial problems are among the common factors that cause couples to divorce, said Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah.

“There are many factors cited as contributory factors for the number of divorces among Muslims and non-Muslims in the state. The common factors cited by various research groups are early marriage (below 21 years old), unpreparedness and financial problems,” she told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Fatimah was asked to comment on news report which showed a higher number of divorces among Muslims compared to non-Muslims.

Based on the report, the number of divorces among Muslims couples registered with the State Religious Department was 1,511 in 2010, 963 cases in 2009 and 1,076 in 2008.

As for non-Muslims, the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak registered 793 divorce cases in 2010, 671 in 2009 and 665 in 2008.

Commenting on the numbers, Fatimah said people would have a clearer picture if the statistics were provided in terms of percentage between the number of marriages and divorces registered for both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Besides that, she said it was not easy to obtain the real statistics for non-Muslim marriages in the state because the marriages could either be conducted in the civil court or by customary rites of the respective ethnic groups.

“As for Muslims, the statistics can be obtained easily because the marriages are conducted only through the State Religious Department,” she added.

On the measures that could be taken by the government to reduce divorce cases in the state, Fatimah stressed that it was not only the government that had to play its role as everybody should play their role in strengthening family institutions.

“As for the state government, we look at preventive measures to avoid divorce from happening by offering modules for the newly married couples to educate couples on their responsibilities in their families and financial management.

“These will better equip the newly married couples in their new marriage lives and with the knowledge they gained from our modules, they are better equipped and will be able to solve the conflicts in their families,” she added.

Religious bodies also play a very important role in educating their followers on marriage, she said, as all religions are sacred.

She hoped that through the cooperation from everyone, the number of divorce cases in the state would be reduced, considering that a high divorce rate would not give a good picture of the state.