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Source: Prothom Alo

The number of broken families in the country is increasing, with the highest number of divorces occurring in the capital. Last year, a divorce took place every 40 minutes in Dhaka. Additionally, separation rates are increasing outside of Dhaka.

It has been observed that women are filing for divorce more frequently. Self-respecting women seek release from torture and choose to pursue divorce. However, settlements after filing for divorce are very low, with less than 5 percent resulting in satisfactory agreements. This information regarding divorce rates was obtained through an analysis of data from the two city corporations and the district registrar’s office in Dhaka.

In matters of divorce, the Muslim Family Act of 1961 is still in force. According to this law, divorce applications in the capital must be sent to the mayor’s office of the two city corporations in Dhaka. The applications are initially registered there and then forwarded from the wife’s original place of residence to the regional office.

According to data from the mayor’s office of the two city corporations in Dhaka, a total of 13,288 divorce applications were received in 2022. Out of these, 7,698 applications were received by the South City Corporation, and 5,590 applications were received by the North City Corporation. Based on this data, it can be deduced that approximately 37 marriages are breaking up in the capital every day, equating to one divorce occurring every 40 minutes. Furthermore, there were 2,488 divorce applications recorded in January and February of the current year.