Reflection on meeting
Venue: W104
Time: 1130
Chairman: Ahmed
Nabil
Secretary: Ahmed
Naser
Participant, in the role of family court
representative: Abdulla Reehan
Participant, representing women’s rights: Khuloud
Topic: divorce in the
UAE
Ahmed Nabil opened the meeting to consider the
growing problem of divorce in the UAE. Invited to list the main reasons for
divorce in this country, Khuloud cited:
a)
family
interference
b)
marriage to
foreigners
c)
dowries
d)
arranged
marriages.
Abdulla Reehan talked about the adverse
psychological effect of divorce on children.
a)
Khuloud mentioned that the practice of living in
close proximity to extended family often caused interference in a married
couple’s life by other family members. This often led to resentment on the part
of either spouse.
b)
Ahmed Naser gave an example of an acquaintance who
had married a foreigner: he was a local man with an Omani mother who had married
an Omani girl. Although both were Arabs, the different customs and traditions of
Omani and Emirati had caused friction and marital
problems.
c)
The exorbitant size of dowry payments was discussed
as a cause of early friction and
discontent.
d)
Khuloud mentioned that arranged marriages could
also lead to disharmony and ultimately separation and
divorce.
Recommendations:
i)
Ahmed Nabil emphasized that there needs to be
better education to prepare young couples for the pressures and problems of
married life. The others concurred. How this would work in practice was not
discussed in great detail.
ii)
In the event of marital problems, Khuloud suggested
a cooling-off period. She thought that something like a marriage guidance
advisory service should be developed. The others
agreed.
iii)
Co-education would be a good preparation for both
workplace and marriage, although it was accepted that this would be opposed by
many and would require careful implementation.
The meeting
was well controlled by Ahmed Nabil. All members contributed to the
discussion.
Ahmed Nabil closed the meeting at
1150.
307 words
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