One divorce is happening per hour in the capital, most of them filed by women

37 divorces are taking place on average in the capital every day which means more than one divorce is happening per hour. According to the data of the two city corporations of Dhaka, 1 thousand 115 divorces every month and 12 thousand 268 divorces happened from January to November last year. Meanwhile, out of the total, 7,890 divorces were given by women and 4,378 were by men. In other words, 65% of divorce was given by women and 35% was by men.

Earlier in 2020, the total number of divorces took place in two city corporations 12 thousand 51, and in 2021 during the corona epidemic, this number was 14 thousand 661.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) 2022 census data, on average, 42% of married men and women are divorced. Rajshahi has the highest number of divorces while Khulna and Sylhet are in the second position. Dhaka and Mymensingh are in the third and fourth positions.

Meanwhile, according to the data of the Law and Arbitration Center (ASK), in 2022, 292 women died due to abuse by their husbands, and 97 committed suicide. 174 people have been victimized by dowry.

According to the data of two city corporations of Dhaka, the reasons behind men divorcing their wives are mainly suspicions towards their wives, their wives’ indifference towards family, their bad temper, not having children, etc. On the flip side, women’s reasons behind divorcing their husbands are extramarital affairs, abuse for dowry, drug addiction, and not providing for family and children.

The rules of divorce are to register the application at the mayor’s office. If both parties do not compromise or withdraw within 90 days of this application, the divorce becomes effective. In this regard, the officials of the two city corporations said that most divorces are done by women. Divorce is mainly due to a lack of mutual understanding. Also, women are now becoming more independent. So they don’t have to think about how to proceed after divorce. Society has also now started to accept women’s independence. However, before the divorce, the city corporation advised both parties not to separate and to rethink about sustaining the relationship. Although in most cases they don’t change their mind.

A woman who got divorced in Mirpur of the capital told , “My husband was involved in an extramarital affair. I have tried many ways to turn him away from this path and maintain our relationship properly. Repenting to his affair, he promised to return from there. I believed him too. But within a few months, I saw him again in contact with the woman. Then when I pressurized to end the relationship, he decided to divorce me.”,

A man from Mohammadpur filed for divorce from Dhaka North City Corporation. On the condition of anonymity, he told , “I decided to divorce as my wife is more interested in a career and indifferent to relationships.”

Amidst this tendency of divorce, most couples are living a married life for a long time. The reporter talked to some such couples. They said that they see divorce as negative. They talk about respecting each other, and giving importance to the partner’s likes and dislikes in order to have a good married life. They maintain the relationship because of social security and dependence on each other.

Dhaka University Sociology Professor Zeenat Huda said, “Society has now come out of the negative concept of divorce. Society is also cooperating in the case of girls who are victims of oppression so that they can come out and live independently. Even at the marginal stage, girls are deciding to divorce. The main reason behind this is that they don’t want to tolerate physical or mental torture silently Moreover, women are economically stronger, also families are becoming supporting. Many others still are maintaining relationships by considering social taboos, religious restrictions, and family.”,

“Also, there are divorce cases that are happening for very trivial matters. It is important to sort out these issues mutually. Many problems can be solved through discussion between the two. The decision of separation should not be taken in those cases. Because separation causes a big emotional impact on the child,” said Professor Zeenat Huda.