Date: Tuesday 9th
October, 2012
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
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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