By CHRISTABEL CHIWILA –
DIVORCE is defined as the process of terminating a marriage or marital union between a husband (male) and wife (female).
It usually entails the cancelling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the bonds of matrimony between a married couple under the rule of law of the particular country or State.
In an African setup, divorce was previously perceived as a taboo or simply uncultured especially among women.
Here in Zambia, the country has recorded many divorce cases.
Last year, Zambia recorded more than 25,000 divorce cases mostly attributed to infidelity between spouses and Gender Based Violence (GBV).
The country recorded 20,818 divorces in 2019 and the number increased to 25,851 in 2020.
Research indicates that the average age of couples seeking divorce was between 20 and 45 years because they got married at an early age.
It further shows that the affected couple got themselves into relationships with full knowledge about the pros and cons of marriage demands.
Statistics indicate that Eastern Province had the highest number of divorce cases of about 5,000.
One of the major causes of divorce in Eastern Province was cruelty between spouses and lack of employment due company closures arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eastern Province was followed by Lusaka which recorded 4,521divorce cases resulting from ill-treatment, adultery and conjugal rights disputes, among other major causes.
Western Province had 4,119 cases mostly attributed to adultery, desertion and the love of alcohol.
Lusaka recorded 3,325 divorce cases as a result of lack of proper marriage counseling, interference from friends and family members as well as poor communication among couples.
Southern Province had 2,745 cases due to GBV and COVID-19 restrictions.
Most couples spent most of their time together in view of COVID restrictions and end up fighting each other thereby leading to divorce.
Northern Province registered 2,292 divorce cases and the major causes were GBV, poor health, adultery, unfaithfulness and drunkenness.
The major causes of divorce in Copperbelt’s Kitwe district where 1,700 cases were recorded were separation, barrenness, adultery and poor health. Ndola region recorded 1,291 cases and some of the major reasons were use of love portions, desertion, mental and physical abuse.
North-Western Province recorded 1,652 cases with mistrust and poverty being the major causes.
Luapula Province had 1,652 cases with over-expectation from spouses being the major contributor to divorces in the region.
North-Westerten province recorded 1,240 cases mainly because of adultery, failure to support a family and desertion, among others.
A total of 1,062 divorce cases were confirmed in Central Province mainly because of unfaithfulness and declining income at household level.
Muchinga province recorded 615 cases because of disrespect for in-laws, witchcraft accusations, laziness and adultery.
Research indicates that divorced adults are more likely to become impoverished while their children experience psychological and economic stress which hinders their social development.
High divorce cases in the country has also led to high number of street kids with some affected girl children turning to prostitution to earn a living due to lack of support from their parents.
Infidelity, adultery, GBV, and poor communication among spouses are some of the major reasons why the affected couples sought divorce.
A Ndola-based practicing lawyer, who declined to be named, says the average age of those seeking divorce was been 25 and 45 years.
Maria Bwalya, a resident of Ndola’s Mapalo Township, says divorce is a painful process.
According to Ms Bwalya, many who had gone through divorce regret after dissolving their marriage.
The author, who covers court stories, has witnessed and written about families breaking up with some children being left to decide on their future.
Chama Musonda, a teacher, has been divorced for the past seven years.
Mr Musonda feels he could have done better because divorce is the worst decision one can make.
He says said society feels men are a problem, a situation which is forcing couples to divorce.
But Mr Musonda is of the view that both partners contribute to the down fall of their marriage.
He hated the fate of his children who had to move between homes following his divorce.
“No one is ever excited about divorce but again one would not keep staying in a very toxic marriage for the sake of being married or because of the children,” Mr Musonda said.
He says life after divorce has not been easy as it takes away everything one has suffered for in life during the marriage.
Mr Musonda is of the view that a broken marriage is better than a broken home.
“One has to live with that situation for the rest of life. Divorce is painful and only a few learn to live with it,” he said.
Suwilanji Namumba just got divorced from her husband who was her first lover.
The two have two children and stayed together in marriage for a period of more five years.
