Permanent Population Committee Marks Qatari Population Day 

 

 

Doha, October 18 (QNA) - The Permanent Population Committee (PPC) has celebrated the Qatari Population Day with the participation of numerous entities in the country.

In this regard, PPC discussed the topic of divorce, its reasons, and the proposed prevention solutions, pointing out that the problem of divorce is not connected with a certain time or community, but is an old social problem that has been inherent in humanitarian communities since their creation, including the Qatari community.

Commenting on this issue, President of Planning and Statistics Authority, Dr. Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabit, underscored the significance of commemorating this day to keep up with the developments in population reality in Qatar, pointing out that divorce problem is not connected with any time or community, but has been inherent in humanitarian communities since their creation, including the Qatari community.

Speaking on behalf of the vice-chairman of PPC Sultan Ali Al Kuwari, Al Nabit outlined that the rapid social, economic, and cultural evolutions have increased the divorce rates, and this requires thinking about the possible prevention solutions, adding that this is what the Qatari Population Day strives to accomplish.

Assistant Undersecretary for Social Development Affairs at the Ministry of Social Development and Family (MSDF), Ghanim Mubarak Al Kuwari, clarified the reasons behind the divorce phenomenon, as well as the adverse impacts arising for them. He underscored that MSDF is working to launch numerous projects that primarily aim to prevent divorce and reinforce the Qatari family corners, chief among which are First Year Marriage Program and "Watad" service.

Speaking on behalf of the Regional Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), Regional Advisor for UNPF, Dr. Hala Youssef, underscored the significance of the existing cooperation between PPC and UNPF, praising the efforts State of Qatar has made regarding the file of population and development. 

She pointed to the constructive engagement in the sixth review of the International Conference on Population and Development that was finalized in September 2023 during the regional conference held in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The event witnessed paying homage to partners and former members of PPC, in appreciation for their unwavering efforts and effective roles in implementing the national population policy action plan.

On the margins of the celebration of the Qatari Population Day 2023, the symposium of divorce in the Qatari community was launched, in which the first session was dedicated to presenting an analytic and statistical image for the current situation of divorce in Qatar, while the second session addressed the reasons of divorce, its diverse impacts and the possible solutions of prevention, with the third session highlighting the governmental efforts to maintain social cohesion, reduce divorce cases and raise the societal awareness on this matter.

Director of the Technical Office of PPC, Abdulhadi Alshawi reviewed the recommendations generated from the presentations of the participating entities in these sessions and discussions which highlighted this phenomenon, chief among which are the formation of a national team from relevant entities interested in divorce issue in the Qatari community to further conduct a field study about the inherent reasons behind divorce, build an integrated statistical system between Planning and Statistics Authority and the Supreme Judiciary Council, in addition to updating the contents included in the curricula of family education that target adolescents and young people in schools and colleges to get them familiarized with their family roles in marriage project.

Additionally, the committee recommended for strengthening schools of marriage and family counseling, developing the programmes of rehabilitation for those who want to get married and make these programmes mandatory for them before getting married, along with the procedures of attesting marital documents, bolster the societal role of media, religious platforms and social media concerning the components of happy and sustainable marriage, as well as discuss the challenges and avenues to overcome them. (QNA)