DOHA: Amid an increasing rate of divorce in Qatar, sections of legal practitioners are calling for a revision of the family law.
They are demand that the role of the family consultancy centre is strengthened to solve marital disputes amicably to help lighten the burden on courts.
Some 3,200 divorces have taken place while 7,246 marriages have been solemnised in the past two years. Divorces totalled 10,325 over the past decade.
The figures were disclosed by panellists at a seminar organised by Al Sharq newspaper in collaboration with Qatari Lawyers’ Association yesterday.
The panellists cited reasons for the growing divorce rate, including socio-economic factors, interferences by family members of the spouses, difference in economic status of couples and misunderstandings, among others.
“Some provisions of the family law need revision, specially those related to divorce, custody of children and bearing family expenses after divorce,” said panellist Advocate Saud Al Adhba.
The increasing number of divorces and marital disputes in the courts indicate that some provisions of the family law need to be amended. However, the law in general is good and acceptable, he added.
A total of 1,090 cases were registered in family courts during the first half of the year, said Naser Mobarak Al Hajri, an expert at Family Consultancy Centre.
There are two types of courts that handle family issues: Juziya (single-judge) and Kulliya (a bench of three judges).
The three-judges bench received 560 cases, including 399 divorces, 51 seeking divorce by women, 13 cases for bearing family expenditures, 82 cases for asking wives to return to homes, six cases of prevention of forced marriage and nine others.
The single-judge court received 478 cases, including 134 for custody of children, 38 to see children, 38 seeking good behaviour, 207 for bearing expenditures, five for prevention of forced marriage, 38 cases for accommodation and 10 others.
The Peninsula
