Matters turned worse when her husband and in-laws started mistreating her. Unable to tolerate humiliation, she left her husband´s home and started living with her parents. She then filed for divorce in 2068. “Prabin didn´t want to marry me in the first place. He married me under pressure from his family members,” said Karki. [break]
Anamika´s is not a one-off case though. Divorce cases are on the rise with Kathmandu District Court (KDC) receiving five to six divorce cases every day. According to KDC, it received 640 divorce cases last year, while the number has gone up to a whooping 1,745 this year.
Advocate Bishnu Gurung says increasing awareness among women and the freedom to part ways when thing don´t work out are the reasons behind increase in divorce cases.
Bharat Lamsal, under-secretary at KDC, said the increase in divorce cases was alarming. He said the choice of divorce should only be a last resort as it has a negative impact on the children of divorced parents. “Parents should consider the well-being of their children before opting for a divorce. Respect for each other and understanding could help bring down the divorce rates,” said Lamsal.
Lawyers dealing with divorce cases point out yet another reason for the increase in divorce rates. “Students and immigrants have been entering into court marriages only to get visa for foreign countries. But once they reach there they file for divorce,” said advocate Bidur Kumar Thapa. “Infidelity and the desire for more freedom among women might be the causes for the increase in divorce cases.”
“Conjugal relations are no more permanent like it used to be in past. A minor misunderstanding can break a marriage. Moreover, our laws have given more freedom to women. Most of the people who file for divorce are below the age of 30,” said advocate Drona Dahal.
The court gives couples counseling classes before approving divorce cases. “The counseling helps save some marriages. But in most of the cases couples are determined to part ways,” said Krishna Poudel, a section officer at KDC.
Divorce cases
2062/63 - 640
2063/64 - 794
2064/65 - 690
2065/66 - 1039
2066/67 - 1203
2067/68 - 1317
2068/69 - 1745
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