KUALA LUMPUR – From the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, close to 78,000 divorces were recorded in the country, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He noted that married couples and the family institution were affected by the pandemic and the ensuing movement control orders (MCO), reported The Star.
"The Covid-19 crisis led the government implementing the MCO since March last year and the community, particularly those at risk, were advised to stay home to prioritise their health and safety.
"Life under the new normal was seen to have impacted several aspects of life, especially the family institution," he said.
Ismail Sabri that 10,346 divorces involved non-Muslim couples while 66,440 cases involved Muslims between March last year and August this year.
"From this total (non-Muslim divorces), Selangor recorded the highest number with 3,160 cases followed by Kuala Lumpur (2,893) and Perak (1,209)," the prime minister said in a written reply to a question from Datuk Dr Hasan Bahrom (PH-Tampin) in Dewan Rakyat yesterday (September 15).
On Muslim divorce cases, he said the highest number of cases was recorded in Johor (7,558) followed by Kedah (5,985) and Kelantan (5,982).
Ismail Sabri said that the National Population and Family Development Board conducted a survey to ascertain the effects of the pandemic on married couples.
The survey was carried out from March 5 to March 14 this year. It involved 1,148 married couples with children from the ages of seven to 24.
He said the report showed it was during the third wave of the pandemic earlier this year that 80% of parents faced economic and mental pressure.
It found, compared to the earlier MCOs, 28% said that their economic situation had worsened during this time.
"This is evident as 84.1% faced emotional stress such as being anxious, nervous and worried during the third wave of the pandemic," he said.
According to the survey, 63% had suffered episodes of depression.
Ismail said the effects of depression resulted in 20.4% of parents surveyed saying that they found it hard to control their temper.
"This was followed by difficulty in falling asleep (16.8%) or constantly having headaches and tummy aches (15.8%)," he added.
Families also faced difficulties conducting home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) for school-going children. Although nine out of 10 parents stated they had at least one
device (such as iPad, Tablet, computers or smartphones) for the children's use, only 37.5% were able to provide a stable and reliable broadband Internet connection at home. –
The Vibes, September 15, 2021
