Lawyers in the UAE have reported an increase in couples seeking legal advice since the start of the new year, a period that many in the industry say is marked by “Divorce Day”.
It fell on January 2 and refers to an apparent rise in separations or requests for a divorce after the festive season, when tensions in families, including financial concerns, put a further strain on relationships.
There has been a “flurry of inquiries” this week for consultations for family law issues, including divorce, Dee Popat, head of the family law department and senior legal consultant at James Berry in Dubai, told The National.
“During my 21-year career as a family solicitor, I have been accustomed to the phrase 'Divorce Day' and more so to January being the 'Divorce Month',” she said. “It is well known that during the festive period, or even the busiest month of the year, where tensions have existed between couples, things come to a head.
Although we are only in the first week of 2024, we have already received 12 inquiries. By contrast, we would usually receive two or three inquiries on the first three days of the month
Dee Popat,
head of family law at James Berry
“Although we are only in the first week of 2024, we have already received 12 inquiries. By contrast, we would usually receive two or three inquiries on the first three days of the month.”
There were about 5,400 divorce cases in the UAE in 2021, up from about 4,200 in 2020, according to Statista. But the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department said last year it reduced the divorce rate in the emirate by six per cent.
Madeleine Mendy, partner and head of the family law department at Bin Sevan Advocates in Dubai, told The National she has handled a growing number of divorce cases in recent years.
“As a divorce lawyer in Dubai for the last decade, doing nearly 50 per cent of the expat divorces in the city, I can say there has been a sturdy increase in divorces since 2020, where couples spending time together more than normal have realised they were incompatible,” she said.
Madeleine Mendy, partner and head of the family law department at Bin Sevan Advocates in Dubai, said that the Dubai Court has received 2,789 family law inquiries, which include divorce and child custody arrangements, in the first few days of the month.
Byron James, a partner at Expatriate Law in Abu Dhabi, is also familiar with the January spike in new clients looking to separate from their spouses.
He said new year was an opportunity for many to reflect on their lives, leading to the reported rise in divorces. “We usually see a 30 per cent increase at this time,” he said.
“Divorce Day coincides with the post-holiday period, reflecting a time of introspection and decision-making for many individuals.
“Our firm noticed an increase in inquiries around Divorce Day. It seems that the combined pressures of the holiday season, coupled with the start of the new year, prompt many to reassess their situations and relationships."
Fresh starts
A former Dubai resident, 40, from the UK, said her previous marriage ended in January 2017 after an increase in tensions.
“Things were not working well between us and what Christmas did was kind of crystallise my husband's indifference towards me,” she told The National.
“I felt like I was the one that was always making the effort and he was indifferent about the whole thing.”
Remarried and back in the UK, she said: "January is the time for fresh starts, especially after the pressure of the Christmas or holiday period".
Relationship coach Amanda Jane Slade, who helps couples in Dubai and the UK reconnect, said issues often arose when couples compared their relationships to what they saw on social media.
“Holidays are a time of huge expectation from each other,” she told The National. “Real life is anything but matching pyjamas and shiny life images, and that's where disappointment sets in and unresolved arguments can surface.”
Issues including spending and hosting events can cause resentment to simmer. “Unfortunately, couples often leave it too late to get help until divorce seems the only option,” she said.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
THE BIG THREE
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m
ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m
RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m
Stage results
1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:39:05
2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time
4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t
5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t
7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t
8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t
9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo s.t
10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Raha%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kuwait%2FSaudi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tech%20Logistics%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2414%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Soor%20Capital%2C%20eWTP%20Arabia%20Capital%2C%20Aujan%20Enterprises%2C%20Nox%20Management%2C%20Cedar%20Mundi%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20166%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
All the Money in the World
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Charlie Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer
Four stars
LEADERBOARD
%3Cp%3E-19%20T%20Fleetwood%20(Eng)%3B%20-18%20R%20McIlroy%20(NI)%2C%20T%20Lawrence%20(SA)%3B%20-16%20J%20Smith%3B%20-15%20F%20Molinari%20(Ita)%3B%20-14%20Z%20Lombard%20(SA)%2C%20S%20Crocker%20(US)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESelected%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E-11%20A%20Meronk%20(Pol)%3B%20-10%20E%20Ferguson%20(Sco)%3B%20-8%20R%20Fox%20(NZ)%20-7%20L%20Donald%20(Eng)%3B%20-5%20T%20McKibbin%20(NI)%2C%20N%20Hoejgaard%20(Den)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
