Agus Maryono, Purbalingga – The Muslim month of Syawal, which follows the Ramadhan fasting month, is generally a month of rejoicing and forgiveness, but this is not the case in Banyumas and Purbalingga, Central Java.

At the religious courts in the two regencies, divorce rates reportedly soar compared to other months.

As many as 160 divorce cases have been recorded in Purbalingga in the first 15 days of Syawal, coinciding with the month of September, compared to an average of 70 in other months.

"Based on the figures this has been going on for a long time, where divorce cases rise sharply by more than 100 percent after Idul Fitri," said Purbalingga Religious Court clerk Akhsin Muntohar. He added that divorce cases had risen sharply in the month of Syawal due to more cases in which spouses work far away from home and are separated from their families.

"So, when they return home for Idul Fitri, the husband or wife meet and encounter new problems, which they cannot resolve and it ends in divorce. For them, divorce has become the solution," said Akhsin.

He added that couples who live apart and only meet once a year were subject to marital problems.

A number of wives leave for Middle Eastern countries to work, mostly as housemaids. "For some men, when their wives return home, they don't want them to leave again, but the wife at times insists," said Akhsin.

He added that some husbands filed for divorce upon finding out that their wives' sexual behavior had changed.

"This is serious. Before we hand down the ruling, we ask them to attempt heart-to-heart reconciliation. Some naove husbands even say that their wives' intimate parts have changed and do not feel the same as before," said Akhsin.

Divorce cases have also risen sharply in neighboring Banyumas with the number of divorce lawsuits having reached 166 cases in the same period.