Divorce is a difficult and messy procedure and if there are children involved it can be upsetting for them. When I was nine years of age, my parents went through a rough stage and my dad had an affair. This was very disturbing for my sister and I because my sister was a daddy’s girl and I was quiet close to him. I was so distressed that my old headmaster asked my mum to take me to a psychologist because my work wasn’t up to scratch but now I am over it so a divorce can be very hurtful on a child. When my dad left, my mum couldn’t eat or sleep, so she was making herself ill, so it can be powerful like that.
Some Christians would disagree with my response because they think it is wrong to get a divorce. In a Christian faith you can get a divorce but it has to be a very special reason. If your spouse dies then you are legally single. Another reason for disagreeing with me is that if your going to get married you have to stay married because it is gods join but if you get divorced you are breaking gods join.
The procedure for a divorce is very difficult. Most of it is done on paper. The divorce goes in this order:
1. Petitioner's (the person filing for divorce) solicitor prepares and lodges papers at the Court. There will be a Petition, a Statement of Arrangements for Children, the marriage certificate and one or two standard forms. There is also a fee payable to the Court of £150.
2. Court checks the papers, then sends out copies with forms of Acknowledgement of Service to the Respondent and (in adultery cases only) the Co-Respondent.
3. Respondent[s] completes Acknowledgement of Service forms and returns them to Court.
4. Court sends copies of these to Petitioner's solicitor.
5. Petitioner's solicitor prepares Affidavit of Evidence (a sworn statement to confirm the contents of the divorce papers) and, after this is sworn by the Petitioner, lodges this at Court together with a Request for a Decree Nisi.
6. District Judge checks the papers filed so far, and if all is satisfactory, sends a Notice to all parties giving a date for the Decree Nisi and any directions regarding children.
7. Decree Nisi - a formal court hearing, held twice a month when several divorces are pronounced. It is just a formality, since the District Judge has given his certificate that the papers are satisfactory, so no-one needs to attend Court. However, if there is a dispute over the payment of costs, this may have to come before the Judge.
8. Children Appointment [if there is a dispute or the judge wants further information about the children].
9. Decree Absolute can be applied for six weeks and one day after Decree Nisi. It is not automatic, the Petitioner can decide when and if to apply for it. There is a further fee payable of £30. Those on Income Support and Working Families Tax Credit are exempt.
As you can see, one hiccup and it can go horridly wrong. The children in a divorce normally go to the mother but in some cases they go to the father. The children can also go to court and say where they would like to live. If the child is under a certain age then the judge will say where he/she lives.
