In our society, the youth struggles and works day and night in search of providing a dowry for a Muslim girl, the cost of one night of marriage, and also insurance and furnishing of the marital home! All the hard work and labor is not enough. He must deliver his neck and become obedient and submissive to take out loans, and repay commercial banks, where he drowns in debt for several years! The logic here is that he must cling to his wife that he paid for with the blood of his heart, and more importantly, that girl who has become a life companion today and the mother of his children in the near future! This is what the mind advocates but reality holds surprises. According to a recent study, the number of divorce cases recorded by the courts in the Kingdom during the first six months of this year was about 5,209, an average of 29 divorces per day! This is a dangerous phenomenon that is killing our community leaving negative consequences. The most prominent causes, also confirmed by some studies, include lack of vision and lack of knowledge the couple have of each other before the marriage, the financial relationship between them, failure of the wife to fulfill her husband's rights, the intervention of families in the details of married life, women's work outside the home, lack of appreciation from one spouse to the other, the man's lack of commitment to the rights of his wife and children and the needs of the family, spending evenings outside home for long hours, and the consumption of alcohol or drugs! Addressing this phenomenon requires cooperation and collaboration of every societal institution. But is the solution in conducting a test that measures the ability of those about to get married which the National Center for Assessment in Higher Education has stated it will launch soon? I do not think so. Most of the center's tests, which began with testing capabilities of high school students and competencies for teachers and others, were not sincere in achieving their goals!! The successful solution I believe is in offering the training program provided by charities for family development that becomes a requirement for the marriage contract. Family consultant Dr. Khalid Al-Halibi confirms that 97 percent of those who enrolled in this program live a stable family life!
