University to study divorce cases

The UAE University (UAEU) will conduct the country's first academic study on divorces and propose solutions to tackle the problem following alarming reports on an increasing divorce rate.

The university signed an agreement with the Marriage Fund yesterday to carry out the Dh860,000 study which, officials said, reflected fruitful cooperation among the country's institutions to jointly tackle domestic problems.

"This study will benefit the UAE society as it will pinpoint solutions based on scientific grounds," said Matar Al Tayer, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor of the UAEU, said the agreement is within a "strategy aimed at building a bridge of cooperation between the university and other institutions."

"The agreement stresses the important role of social research in finding solutions to our social problems. Since divorce is one of the social problems affecting our family's stability, there is a need for cooperation among various institutions of the country to identify effective solutions."

Jamal Al Bah, Director of the Marriage Fund, said the study will be entitled The Divorce Phenomenon in the UAE: Its Reasons and Proposed Solutions.

"It is very important for our efforts to tackle such a problem and it will cover all the emirates. It will be prepared in collaboration with several other social establishments of the country."

Despite incentives and legal assistance to national couples, official statistics showed the divorce rates has steadily increased over the past decade.

It will be the first professional study on the divorce problem that has eluded the fund and other institutions over the past decade.