Divorce and its impacts on child welfare: the case study of Urban west region Zanzibar

Globally divorce figures are high and are growing in every society. It is estimated that between a third and half of the children born in marriages witness their parents go through a divorce and they end up living with a single parent before they are 18. In recent years, Zanzibar has witnessed a remarkable increase in number of divorces; about 900 divorce cases were reported in institutions dealing with family issues in 2005/2006. The objective of this study was to explore how divorced mothers and their children live. It examined the social impact of divorce on the children. It compared the school performance of children from divorced and non-divorced families. A questionnaire survey was made to hundred divorced mothers from five of Urban West Region of Zanzibar and 384 pupils from four primary and four secondary schools in the region. Most children whose parents have gone through divorce live with their mothers who, usually, do not receive regular financial support from their ex-husbands. As a result, children receive insufficient basic requirements and their school performance is affected. This study recommends that pre-marital training programme to couple on the importance, meaning and value of marriage be undertaken to reduce the rate of divorce and safeguard the welfare of children. Tolerance should be encouraged between the couple and dispute settlement mechanisms in the married life should be given priority. Where divorce is the only option, fathers should be obligated to finance their children’s’ upbringing.