No-fault divorce has led to three-fold increase in failed marriages in Spain

Madrid, Spain, Jul 13, 2007 / 07:57 am

The Institute for Family Policy in Spain said this week that two years after the country began allowing no-fault divorce, the number of failed marriages has more than tripled.

“The breakdown of the family has had a very negative development in Spain during recent years, in the last two years since the approval of no-fault divorce, the increase has been of such scope that, among other things, the number of divorces has tripled during this time,” the institute said in a report.

The report states that a martial separation occurs every 3.19 minutes in Spain, and that most separations end in divorce. More than 274,000 couples have separated since the law was passed.  More than 450,000 children are caught in the middle, and by 2010 for every marriage that takes place another will end in divorce.

The culture of a country is measured by the way in which it addresses problems and cares for the well being of families, the report stressed.  The duty to provide answers to the needs of married couples and families, it continued, is based on the need to “maintain the health and stability of marriages and families” and to soften the crisis and sufferings of those who are involved in difficult situations.

The institute proposed measures for addressing the problem of failed marriages in Spain, including the modification of the law on no-fault divorce, increase emphasis on therapy and counseling for troubled marriages and the creation of a congressional committee to study ways to help marriages.