Divorce cases rise by 9% as marriages see a fall

MUSCAT, Feb 25 - The number of marriages fell by 22 per cent between 2013 and 2017, while divorce cases witnessed a rise of 9 per cent during the same period, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). This was revealed during the launch of marriage guidance plan “Tamasuk” (2019/2020), held at Oman Institute for Oil and Gas, Sultan Qaboos University, under auspices of His Highness Sayyid Kamil bin Fahd al Said, Assistant Secretary-General of the Deputy Prime Minster Office for Cabinet Affairs, in the presence of Shaikh Mohammed bin Said al Kalbani, Minister of Social Development, officials, judges and representatives of government agencies, private sector and NGOs. Tamasuk, meaning unity or cohesion in Arabic, started in 2014 by the ministry. It is a specialised programme to guide the newly-married by a group of qualified specialists. Officials from the ministry confirmed that the number of beneficiaries of this programme, until the beginning of 2019, reached more than 20,000 newly-weds from various governorates of the Sultanate. Speaking to the media, the chief guest said that marital life is a joint responsibility between the spouses saying: “There are many elements that lead to the success of a married life like love, respect and trust. If these elements are found, marital life will be successful and stable, and that reflects positively on their children — builders of this nation.” He said that pre-marital medical examination is important to avoid many genetic diseases that have a lot of negative consequences. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Yahya bin Mohammed al Hinai, Director-General for Family Development at the ministry, said: “Family is the basis of the society. We cannot achieve stability in society without the existence of coherent families which are able to meet various challenges. In fact, family cohesion has very important results not only at the level of the family, but at the level of communities and states. That is because the individual who grows up in a good family, will imbibe positive values. Therefore, he will maintain the cohesion of the institution in which he works and initiates solutions to any problems that may occur either in community or in his own family.” He said that the ministry adopts many programmes supporting the stability of families including marriage guidance programme with the aim of helping the youth to choose the right spouse, prepare them for married life, how to achieve stability and happiness as well as achieve marital compatibility, and also train them to solve any marital problems that may occur before, during and after the marriage. Wadha bint Salim al Alawi, Assistant Director of Family Counseling Department, presented a visual show reflecting facts about the guidance plan in the Sultanate. She mentioned that according to NCSI, the number of marriage documents have been declining since 2013. “From 28,515 marriages registered in 2013, there were only 22,284 in 2017, a decrease of 22 per cent. In contrast, the Sultanate witnessed a rise in divorce cases during the same period by 9 per cent as in 2013 divorce cases were 3,550 and in 2017 they were 3,867 cases. Representing the Ministry of Justice, Dr Abdulamajeed bin Yosuf al Aghbari, Head of Reconciliation and Settlement Committee in Seeb, spoke of reconciliation committees.