KUALA LUMPUR: An average of five divorce applications are filed every hour nationwide, says Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin.

       "An average of 18 divorce applications are filed by non-Muslim couples a day while 121 Muslim couples file for divorce a day.

       "This works out to an average of five divorce applications per hour.

       "Even as we speak now, there are couples who are filing for divorce.

       "Isn't this very worrying?" said the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law) when responding to a question by Noor Amin Ahmad (PH-Kangar) in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Oct 12).

       Mas Ermieyati had earlier informed the House that more than 76,000 divorce applications were filed by non-Muslims and Muslim couples between March 2020 and August this year.

       She said of that figure, 10,346 applications were by non-Muslims.

       "Of this, Selangor recorded the highest number of applications with 3,160 followed by Kuala Lumpur (2,893) and Perak (1,209)," she added.

       Mas Ermieyati said that there were 66,440 divorce applications by Muslim couples for the same period.

       She said that Selangor topped the list with 12,479 cases followed by Johor (7,558) and Kedah (5,985).

       "I must note that the number of cases is in respect of divorce applications and does not necessarily mean that they end up in divorce," she said.

       She added that divorce applications are managed by the respective courts.

       "We are of course unhappy whenever couples decide to go ahead with their divorce," she said.

       She said that a holistic approach should be taken to address the issue which includes counselling for those affected by divorce.