RABIA XERÎS

Algeria- Divorce rates are on rising in Algeria. In the country, men have a unilateral right to divorce without explanation while women are required to apply to the courts for a divorce on specified grounds.

68 thousand cases of divorce were registered in 2018; the number of registered cases of divorce was 65 thousand in 2017, according to the report released by the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH). During a symposium entitled “Conciliation in Divorce Cases”, organized by the committee in Bouira Governorate in 2020, it was said, “68 thousand divorces are registered each year, at a rate of every 8 minutes.”

Stories of victims of unilateral divorce

A woman, the victim of unilateral divorce in the city of Tlemcen, Algeria (she did not want to be named) told us her story under the name of Selma. “We got married after a long love story. After our marriage, we began to live with his family. I sometimes visited my family. Everything was normal until I gave birth to my first child at my family’s house. Then my husband told me he wanted a divorce. I was treated as if I was a domestic worker and all family members supported my husband. Even though I didn't want to, my husband got divorced from me. Now, I am alone with my newborn daughter.”

He got divorced from his wife to marry another woman

40-year-old Nura, who is an Arabic Language and Literature teacher and mother of three children, is also a victim of unilateral divorce. “We had a long marriage without having any problems. But then everything changed. I went to the psychologist to understand my husband’s changing behaviors. But her husband first kicked her out of the house and then got divorced from her without explanation. I sold everything and moved to Turkey. Later, I learned that he got married to another woman. He left me and his children to marry another woman.”

Awareness-raising programs should be developed

Professor Samia Qawia, an accredited lawyer in Algeria, stated that there are many registered divorce cases in Algeria. She recommended the spouses “to attend family therapy sessions. Awareness-raising programs should be developed to reduce divorce cases.”

Sara Zagad, a family counselor, said that the number of unilateral divorces has reached an alarming level in Algeria. “There were 20,134 unilateral divorce cases in 2009. Men have a unilateral right to divorce without explanation. The victims of these divorces are women and children. Women lose their self-confidence due to the shock they experience. Some women rebuilt their lives but some still suffer from trauma.”