TV driving Pak women to divorce

Lahore (Pakistan): Spread of legal awareness and TV programmes have led to an increase in the cases of women seeking divorce in Pakistan.

The development was found by a survey conducted by one of the country’s national dailies.

It found that most of the women approached the family courts for divorce on the pleas of cruelty, harsh and inhuman treatment, use of filthy language and humiliation before in-laws.

Not only the educated women but illiterate women having been watching different TV channels with programmes based on family laws have also approached the courts.

The data collected from the family courts revealed that most of the women who approached the courts for divorce were those who had married in early age.

At least 3, 550 women moved courts for Khula or Talaq from the period of January 2005 to December 2005.

As per statistics, 67 per cent litigant women belonged to urban areas while 33 per cent from rural areas. The data also showed that women having children were more in number than the women who were issue less.

According to the paper, in Khula the women are supposed to leave or drop some of their benefits for taking divorce.

Whereas, in cases of divorce the women seek talaq on grounds such as cruelty, harsh treatment, physical torture and inhuman treatment.

A leading woman advocate Rabbiya Bajwa reportedly said that in a male-dominated society, women faced numerous survival problems which lead them to seek divorce.

She added that uncontrolled growing population was also a major factor for the increase in marriage disputes.

According to the advocate, while it’s good that law provides security to women, but a woman should try her best to keep the marriage intact.

But, according to another lady advocate Sabahat Rizvi the major reason of increase in divorce ratio was positive awareness, which women were getting from media sources and education.

Another reason of separation between couples is lack of tolerance and easy availability of women for men, she added.

However, male advocates have a different view about the spurt in the number of cases of divorces.

Advocate Mazhar Ali Ghallu said that the women had lost patience due to which they move courts for divorce without making any attempt to resolve the issues at home.

He criticised the role of NGOs for provoking women against men on the pretext of women rights and said a wife should demand privileges or rights as per the resources of her husband.

According to Ghallu, after marriage women wanted total control of her husband’s house, which create rift among the families.

Unemployment and less earning is also a major factor for a rapid increase in divorce cases, he added.