Campaign aims to make pre-marital courses obligatory for all age groups

AMMAN — Under the “Usharek +” initiative, a group of Yarmouk University students launched a campaign titled “LitaskunoElayha”, aimed at building family solidarity and decreasing divorce rates in Jordan.

The campaign aspires to amend article eight of the Supreme Judge Department’s (SJD) regulations for granting couples permission to marry, which requires those under the age of 18 who are planning to get married to take pre-marital courses, to include all age groups.

The courses, currently optional for those over 18 years of age, offer social and psychological training for building healthy marriages, Batool Marji, a member of the campaign, told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

Marji noted that some studies showed high rates of divorce among people between the ages of 18 and 24 years old after only one year of marriage, adding that the pre-marital courses aim to raise awareness among engaged couples by introducing them to their duties and rights in marriage, familiarising them with the concept of partnership and teaching them to resolve problems without immediately resorting to divorce.

Stressing the necessity of making the courses mandatory for all age groups, Marji said that they would also be beneficial for married couples, based on parents’ opinions and recommendations.

“These courses would be vital in attaining compatibility and stability in families,” she said.

“At the moment, pre-marriage courses are only given in Amman, Irbid, Zarqa and Russeifa,” she said, adding that the campaign seeks to expand access to the courses to the other governorates.