Divorce cases almost double

Divorce cases almost double

PEKALONGAN, Central Java: Loyalty of men to their wives is declining in this batik city, causing the incidence of divorce to almost double last year, a local official said yesterday.

Chief of the local religious court, Hasan Bisri, said that cases of divorce had soared from 796 in 1993 to 1,214 last year.

According to Bisri, husbands' "deficient morality", along with economic hardship, is to blame for the high divorce rate.

His view was supported by his secretary, Zainatul Istiqomah, who said that most of the divorces were sought by wives who claimed that their husband had had an affair.

"Many husbands have a lover or take another wife", he said, as quoted by Antara. (pan)