Facebook blamed for higher divorce rate in Indonesia
BernamaPublished: Jan 20, 2012 8:26 AM | Updated: Jan 20, 2012 8:27 AM
The social networking service Facebook has become quite popular in Indonesia but it is now believed to be a factor contributing to a rapid increase in the divorce rate, a religious court official in Bengkulu, Sumatra said.
The social networking service Facebook has become quite popular in Indonesia but it is now believed to be a factor contributing to a rapid increase in the divorce rate, a religious court official in Bengkulu, Sumatra said.
The South Bengkulu religious court which handles divorce suits had recorded a total of 26 divorce cases since Jan 2, 2012, a number almost twice as high as in a corresponding period in 2011, Zulkardi Ridwan, the court’s chief, said in Bengkulu yesterday.
Most of the divorce cases had come about because one of the parties had developed a virtual relationship with a third person through Facebook, Antara news agency quoted Zulkardi as saying.
Most of the suing parties were housewives who had discovered that their spouse was having an affair with another woman he got acquainted with through the Internet.
Most of the couples who had to end their marital relationship had been married for two to six years with one or two children, and the divorce suits were usually filed after the husband had abandoned the family.
The theory that Facebook or other internet media is to blame for the increase in the divorce rate at the beginning of 2012 was shared by the local religious court’s clerk, Anasrullah.
According to Annasrullah’s estimate, the divorce rate in 2012 would continue to rise as shown by the number of cases that had been filed and reached the mediation process by mid-January 2012.
Last year, the court had recorded 448 divorce cases of which only 245 resulted in the immediate termination of the marital bond while in January 2011 only 12 cases were filed but in 2012 the number was approaching 30.
Despite the fact that divorce cases were increasing, the court’s judges continue to apply the principle of always trying to persuade the two couples to reunite.
The judge also explained the negative impact for families and children, especially gifted children, that the couple already have, but it all depends on whether the applicant filing for divorce wants to proceed or reunite.
“Based on previous experience, if the case has been filed, only a handful of couples are successfully reunited, the rest mostly divorce,” he said.
- Bernama
The South Bengkulu religious court which handles divorce suits had recorded a total of 26 divorce cases since Jan 2, 2012, a number almost twice as high as in a corresponding period in 2011, Zulkardi Ridwan, the court’s chief, said in Bengkulu yesterday.
Most of the divorce cases had come about because one of the parties had developed a virtual relationship with a third person through Facebook, Antara news agency quoted Zulkardi as saying.
Most of the suing parties were housewives who had discovered that their spouse was having an affair with another woman he got acquainted with through the Internet.
Most of the couples who had to end their marital relationship had been married for two to six years with one or two children, and the divorce suits were usually filed after the husband had abandoned the family.
The theory that Facebook or other internet media is to blame for the increase in the divorce rate at the beginning of 2012 was shared by the local religious court’s clerk, Anasrullah.
According to Annasrullah’s estimate, the divorce rate in 2012 would continue to rise as shown by the number of cases that had been filed and reached the mediation process by mid-January 2012.
Last year, the court had recorded 448 divorce cases of which only 245 resulted in the immediate termination of the marital bond while in January 2011 only 12 cases were filed but in 2012 the number was approaching 30.
Despite the fact that divorce cases were increasing, the court’s judges continue to apply the principle of always trying to persuade the two couples to reunite.
The judge also explained the negative impact for families and children, especially gifted children, that the couple already have, but it all depends on whether the applicant filing for divorce wants to proceed or reunite.
“Based on previous experience, if the case has been filed, only a handful of couples are successfully reunited, the rest mostly divorce,” he said.
- Bernama
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