Divorce In Java Island Increases Due To The COVID-19 Pandemic

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JAKARTA - Directorate General of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia (Dirjen Badilag MARI) Aco Nur said divorce in Java had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aco suspects this is motivated by economic factors, because many breadwinners have to face layoffs during the pandemic.

"As a result of COVID-19, there are many layoffs, so that the economy does not work better. This makes women not getting guarantees from their husbands," Aco said in Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Friday, August 28.

He said, the majority of divorce plaintiffs who entered the list of religious courts came from their wives, based on economic factors.

Divorce plaintiffs are generally in Java Island in particular, in West Java Province. Then there were many divorce suits in the cities of Semarang and Surabaya.

Aco explained, when the PSBB was implemented in April and May 2020, there were under 20,000 divorces in Indonesia. However, in June and July 2020, the number of divorces increased to 57,000 cases.

Court closings during the PSBB have also contributed to an increase in divorce cases in religious courts, as a result of the shift in divorce registration in April and May to June and July.

"So April and May registration is delayed so that it piles up when the new normal starts," he said.