A senior social scientist yesterday disagreed with the media reports that Qatar’s divorce rate is one of the highest in the world. He said the reports did not have the backing of any scientific study. Talking to reporters here yesterday, Dr Richard Wilkins, Managing Director, Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development (DIIFSD) said there is no specific study to prove that Qatar’s divorce rate was going up. “There is a general impression that the divorce rate is going up in the Arab region, but it is yet to be proved with credible statistics”, he said. Dr Wilkins, however, said the issue would be discussed at a two-day international family conference to be hosted by the Institute in Doha on January 27 and 28, 2010. Amina Mesdoua, Director, Family Policy, DIIFSD said the conference on “The empowerment of the family in the modern world: Challenges and promises ahead” would be attended by experts from all around the world, representing governments, United Nations, international NGOs and Universities. The conference will have its focus on empowering the family as an institution. The conference will serve as a forum for discussion and debate of family issues at all levels and for exchange of views and experiences, Mesdoua said. The conference will have six panels—Strengthening the family as an institution, trends affecting the family, new challenges, family around the world, family and rights, and finally the moral regeneration. Each panel will have its focus on four to five different themes that would be followed by a general debate, she said. A separate panel discussion would be held on the impact of migration on the families of some foreign nations that are major contributors to the world labour force. The countries include India, Scandinavia and Latin America. Discussion on family law in Arab nations would be another topic of panel discussion. Globalization has broken the chain of transmitting social values from one generation to another. This is another social challenge being faced by the Arab region. The issue would be another point of discussion at the meet, she said. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=January2010&file=Local_News2010011841724.xml

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