Iraq records over 6,000 divorce cases in one month  

More than 73,000 divorces were recorded in 2021 alone by the courts. These figures are similar to the previous year.
A picture shows the Supreme Judicial Council building in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Dec. 27, 2021. (Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP)
A picture shows the Supreme Judicial Council building in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Dec. 27, 2021. (Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – More than 6,000 Iraqi couples filed for divorce in February alone, according to the judicial authority.

The Judicial Supreme Court data reveals that Iraq records nearly 200 divorce cases on a daily basis, demonstrating the recent surge in divorce cases in the country.

Economic difficulties, early marriages, and infidelity due to “technology” are some of the common drivers of divorce, according to judicial officials.

More than 73,000 divorces were recorded in 2021 alone by the courts. These figures are similar to the previous year.

The real numbers, however, are much higher than those publicly published, Hind Kazim, a female lawyer, told Kurdistan 24 in response to questions about the rise in homicides and poverty in the country.  

Some divorces are also caused by the lack of mutual understanding among couples who marry at a very young age.  

“Lack of understanding and early marriages were major reasons for the breakups,” Zahra, who only provided her first name and had recently separated, told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday.

In contrast, less than 51,000 divorce cases were recorded annually during the ten-year period: 2004-2014.

In the deeply conservative and patriarchal society of Iraq, divorced women face numerous difficulties due to social stigma around the phenomenon. Some of the challenges faced by those women include sexual harassment, losing their children, and economic hardship.