Termed ‘Divorce in Saudi Society,’ the symposium will focus on the alarming number of divorces in Saudi Arabia. It will be held at the Prince Salman Social Centre in Riyadh.
A panel of sociologists, psychologists, and religious scholars will discuss the topic, particularly its effects on society as well as its psychological and religious aspects.
"The purpose is to create awareness. We intend to look at the problem from all angles and discuss the reasons for it," Deputy Minister for Social Development Dr Awad Al Radadi said. "Hopefully, solutions to curb the increase in divorce will be provided," he added.
18,000 divorces in 2006
There were 18,000 divorces in 2006, against 66,000 marriages – 12 per cent increase in divorces compared to the year earlier, according to the latest government statistics.
Dr Ahmad Al Hariri, a psychologist who has specialised in forensic psychotherapy, said that the woman is the biggest loser when a marriage fails. The ratio of women and men relying on marital counselling is 10 to one.
He explained that the reason for this disparity is that women are not reluctant to express their fears, open up and seek help and that they are the ones that are often stigmatised when divorced.
"It’s a man’s world. As long as the man feels he is the stronger link in a relationship and that his social status is at risk, he finds it difficult to face his errors or even admits them and to reveal details of his domestic life," he said. "Of the many cases I have encountered, the man is usually the one responsible for the disturbance in a marriage; therefore, he either turns to himself to find solutions or ignores the problems," Al Hariri added.
Sixty-two per cent of marriages in the western region end in divorce, with a large percentage of those being less than 25 years of age.
Young couples parting ways
The number of young divorcees is increasing. Some are getting divorced after one or two years of married life. Coming across a 20-something divorcee is not strange anymore.
Khaled Abu Rashid, a Saudi lawyer, said that with a huge number of divorce cases, law firms in Saudi Arabia are burdened with so much work that sometimes they have to refuse taking cases.
He said that divorce among young couples was increasing and added that a lot of his clients are between 18 and 22 years of age and that many disputes revolve around child custody.
According to a report released by the Jeddah High Court divorce cases in Jeddah have assumed an alarming rate with 12,192 divorces taking place between February 2005 and January 2006.
The report noted that the rise of divorce figures in Jeddah was 60 per cent, followed by 39 per cent in Riyadh in the same period, 20 per cent in Ahsa and 18 per cent in the Eastern Province.
The report showed that in 799 cases women demanded unilateral divorce from their husbands while 354 involved custody disputes and 196 involved seeking visitation rights.
Other cases included 578 demanding financial compensation and 141 complaints against the lack of dowry payment or reimbursement.
