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Solidarity: Jordan records 60 divorce cases every day, including 18 cases of early divorce (divorce from same-year marriage)
13 February 2018

Nisaa FM: Official data from the judge's office shows that Jordan has a daily record of 223 marriage contracts, including 30 cases of early marriages (marriage in the 15-18 age group), and 60 cases of divorce, including 18 cases of early divorce from same-year marriage), according to the annual statistical report for 2016.

21% of divorced males and 51% of divorced females during 2016 were under the age of 25 years. The cumulative divorce cases registered in the Sharia courts in Jordan in 2016 amounted to 21,969 divorces, of which according to sex and nationality, 1,919 cases were for Jordanian males compared to 2050 cases for non-Jordanian males, and 19487 cases for Jordanian females compared to 2482 cases for non-Jordanian females.

The Association of the Jordanian Women Solidarity Institute "Solidarity" indicates that 21.2% of divorced males and 51.8% of divorced females are under the age of 25 years. In the figures, 4674 males and 11,397 females were divorced between the ages of 15 and 25 years. The third quarter (July, August and September) of 2016 witnessed 28% of divorces and a total of 6050 cases.

6637 early divorce (divorce from a marriage not exceeding one year).

Solidarity added that 402 out of 10,907 cases of early marriage in 2016 ended in divorce in the same year. The total number of divorces from same-year marriages (81,343 marriages) reached 6,637 divorces by 8.2 percent, early divorce, this figure indicates a higher divorce compared to the number of cases during 2015 (5599 divorce cases of same-year marriage).

499 female minors and 27 divorced minors are divorced for the second time before reaching the age of 18 during 2016.

In addition, 499 female "divorced" women married for the second time were between the ages of 15-18, compared to 27 male minor "divorced" married for the second time and their ages ranging from 15-18 years.

"Solidarity" indicates that 4539 “divorced" women also married for the second time, between the ages of 19 and 24 years, compared to 442 males of the same age group, which invites us again to demand the study of the causes of marriage and early divorce, and to develop appropriate solutions to preserve the family entity. These figures reflect the existence of a defect in the most important foundations of the formation of a healthy family based on consent to marriage, and the reluctance of many couples and their compelling without reasons or reasons cannot be justified.

  There are no official figures or statistics showing the number of requests for marriage permission for 15-18 year olds submitted annually to the Sharia courts which were rejected. However, the number of applications approved was 13.4% of the total number of marriages and 10907 applications.

The total number of ordinary and repeated marriages of 2016, which was settled by the Sharia courts in the various governorates of the Kingdom reached 81,343, with a very slight decrease of 30 marriages compared to 2015 (81,373 marriages). While the incidence of early marriage (less than 18 years) about 41 cases of marriage, which amounted to 10907 cases in 2016 as it was 10866 in 2015. According to the statistical report for the year 2016 and issued by the Department of Statistics.

Solidarity indicates that the rate of early marriage to total marriages has increased over the last two years, despite the awareness and guidance efforts of various institutions and institutions to reduce them. 

The absence of a minimum age for the engagement contributes to the increase in early marriages and divorces. Solidarity points out that there is no Jordan law for a minimum age for engagement for Muslims and Christians. Article 2 under the Personal Status Code it states, that marriage is legitimately by the promise of it.

The failure to set the minimum age for engagement opens the door to the continuation of early and forced marriages that lack will, conscious and free choice, deprives girls of their right to shape their future, threatens their chances of education and work, and deprives them of their childhood and rights. 

Solidarity also finds that the social stigma that persecutes divorced women (even if the divorce is before entry), in addition to the other effects of divorce and the ensuing obligations stipulated in the Personal Status Law, call upon us to activate the previous role of the engagement as not a marriage contract.