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Proposed 'Ministry of Marriage and Divorce' sparks controversy

A new proposed ministry reveals a crisis of divorce in Iran and the inability of other ministries to address youth problems.
An Iranian bride waits for her groom during a mass wedding ceremony at the country's grand hall in Iran's Interior ministry building in central Tehran August 19, 2007. More than 800 Iranian students will be getting married at the same time.  REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN) - RTR1SX4G

Official statistics released in late 2013 by the government of Iran revealed that one out of five marriages overall, and one out of three in Iran’s bigger cities, end in divorce in less than four years. The latest idea to surface as a possible way to address this issue is the drafting and submission of a proposal to establish a Ministry of Marriage and Divorce.

In an interview at the end of December with ISNA, the state news agency, Mahmoud Golzari, deputy minister of organization at the Ministry of Sports and Youth, connected Iranian's marital problems to a lack of education, describing thorough knowledge of marital life before entering it as a form of vaccination. Golzari said that 20% and 30% are incredibly high percentages for divorce. He went on to say that unmarried counselors are unqualified to offer marriage counseling, as, according to him, “What would a young graduate know about marital problems if they are unmarried themselves? They should not be receiving a license.”

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