adminThe vows which couples exchange on their wedding day should be the glue that binds them for eternity. A society that finds itself attending more to divorce cases than marriages should take time for introspection and re-examine its moral compass to find where it is getting it all wrong.
Where are our moral and spiritual leaders? Are we losing the plot as a nation? These and other questions are bound to crop up when we find our courts choking under a pile of divorce summonses as couples stampede our judiciary system even before the ink dries on their marriage certificates.
We refer here to startling statistics released by a High Court judge who indicated that a total of 519 divorce summonses were issued by the Bulawayo High Court last year, an increase of 113 cases over the 2011 figure. Officially opening the 2013 Legal Year of the Bulawayo High Court on Monday, Judge president George Chiweshe expressed concern at the rate at which couples were divorcing.
“The rate at which couples are divorcing has reached alarming levels. Social scientists and other experts have attributed this development to the general erosion of cultural values due to urban migration, domestic violence, adultery and other social ills. The prevalence of these factors has been exacerbated by the prevailing harsh economic conditions,” said Justice Chiweshe.
Indeed it appears our moral values have diminished as a people and this alone should alarm us. Our churches, cultural and other religious leaders therefore have a huge task on their hands to ensure society does not descend into further decadence. There are various factors that might explain the sudden upsurge in divorce cases.
Sociologists and other social scientists will contend that as society evolves and develops, it tends to put a strain on the traditional family set up which puts the man at the head of the institution of marriage. With modernisation came a degree of independence for the woman leading to potential conflict within marriages as the power of the man is whittled, they argue.
Women, on the other hand, are no longer weighed down by societal expectations and stereotypes. They can now successfully lead independent lives and do not have to depend on their partners.
We believe a balance can be struck where couples can adapt to the pressures and demands of modern living. We cannot advocate a return to the old ways of doing things because culture is dynamic and has to adapt to changing times. Traditionally, families in African culture would defer to aunts and uncles to be intermediaries in domestic disputes.
However, in today’s highly urbanised environment, couples have to find common ground and utilise the moral leaders in their society be it church counsellors or professional marriage counsellors to resolve their differences. The high divorce rate also points to a society whose morals have been eroded.
Last week, we reported that the Maintenance Court at Tredgold Building in the city recorded an increase in the number of women dragging their husbands to court over the upkeep of children with 1 853 cases recorded between January and December.
According to court records, 1 399 cases had been opened in November and the number grew to 1 853 by 31 December, marking an average of between 225 and 228 cases per month towards the end of the year.
The upsurge was attributed to a number of factors among them lack of responsibility by men who abandon their families, the general economic situation and the closure of industries in Bulawayo which left thousands of workers jobless and unable to fend for their families.
An interesting revelation from the statistics was that a majority of women who opened maintenance cases were girlfriends and so-called “small houses”. It is worrying that as society, we have come to legitimise and accept this new phenomenon of the small house as if it were normal. This is what is contributing to moral decadence and the high divorce rate.
It is time we got back to basics and strengthen the family institution and family values. Children need to be taught from a young age the importance of family and the sanctity of marriage. That is the only way we can build a morally upright society and help stem the rise in divorce cases.
Online Reporter