Dubai: A Jordanian man reportedly divorced his bride half an hour before their planned wedding reception after discovering that the hairdresser who did her bridal makeup was a man, not a woman, local media reported.
According to media reports, the man went to the beauty salon to pick up his bride, thinking the hairdresser was female but he discovered the hairdresser was a man, something he found offensive.
This resulted in a heated argument between the groom and bride, which ended up with the him divorcing his bride, half an hour before their wedding party.
Over the past decade, Jordan has witnessed a spike in divorce rate. In 2016, it had the highest divorce rate in the Middle East, according to the Department of Statistics, with the number of divorces increasing to 21,969 in 2016 from 1,000 in 2011.
Family disintegration, poverty and lack of education are considered to be some of the key factors behind an increase in the rate of child marriage among refugees, according to Unicef.
Customs, traditions and refugee status also contribute to child marriages, Unicef Representative Tanya Chapuisat said early this year.
Data from the most recent Demographic Health Survey showed child marriage in Jordan, which had been on a declining for decades, is on the rise again.
