Spousal abandonment on rise in RAK
ras al khaimah — High rates of ‘silent divorces’ — or spousal abandonment — continue to persist in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, with more than 40 already this year.
There were 42 such abandonment cases in the first 10 months of the year — a high number compared to previous years, according to the judiciary.
Chief Judge Dr Mohammed bin Muftah Al Khatiri, who presides over RAK’s Personal Status Court, attributed the phenomenon to continuous disharmony, inflexibility, and accumulated clashes among couples.
“Though a husband and wife are not in harmony, they remain married in one house and do not split just to give protection to their young children, while some others fall under several sociological and psychological conditions.”
In others words, if some couples have no children, they rush to divorce as an immediate solution to put an end to their continuous disputes, he added, noting that such couples, particularly husbands, did not appreciate properly the gift of marriage.
Dr Al Khatiri said the Personal Status Court, which he presides over, unfortunately saw some ‘silent divorce cases’, in which a husband deserted his wife, children, and family house, for up to 12 years in some cases, without legally dissolving the marriage.
“Some other so-called husbands abandoned theirs (families) for three to seven and even 10 years while the least recorded husband-wife desertion was only three months.”
The wives, waiting so long for her husband to change his mind and come back to his family and children, approach the court for maintenance or divorce, particularly after the children grow up, and finish their education, he explained.
Head of the Family Counseling Section at RAK Courts Jassim Al Makki, said some couples accept ‘silent divorce’ to avoid social and psychological impact — but some husbands want to escape financial burdens.
“It is only, in some cases, a couples’ wish to protect their children against the terrible consequences of a family split that make them prefer such a cold marriage life rather than divorce.
“The RAK Courts saw 42 ‘silent divorce’ cases from January 1 to October 31 this year, with desertion periods exceeding ten years, and in which the young kids were the most vulnerable and affected victims,” he added.
Rania Barakat, a teacher, said she has always been in dispute with her husband who is very stubborn, argumentative, and miserly. “If we didn’t have three kids, we would have split a long time ago,” she said.
Echoing the same, Fatima S, said she had already been ‘silently di- vorced’ twice due to “the unending disputes over everything”. “We are now very exposed to a third divorce; permanent separation, due to a lack of understanding, and even love.”
Al Makki, earlier attributed a difference of culture and traditions, as well as rushed and inaccurate decision on the right partner as the main reason behind most divorce requests submitted to the Ras Al Khaimah Courts.