Legal Analysis of Rising Divorce Cases: Impact of COVID-19 in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia

Abstract

Objective: This study aim to analyse  the legal implications of increase in the divorce rate as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic at the Tanjungkarang Religious Court in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia. Additionally, the study seeks to identify the underlying factors that contributed to the occurrence of divorce at the Tanjungkarang Religious Court during the pandemic.   Theoretical framework: Literature in this study was based on the phenomena that several regions in Indonesia have experienced an increase in the divorce rate as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; the Tanjungkarang Religious Court in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, is one example. From January to June 2020, the Tanjungkarang Religious Court in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, documented 699 divorces amid the COVID-19 pandemic.   Method: This study employs a qualitative methodology and conducts field research. In the interim, both primary and secondary data, acquired through field observation, documentation, and direct interviews, are included in the collected information. In order to facilitate the process of verifying the data, the researcher employed the triangulation method to ascertain its validity.   Results and Conclusion: this study found that During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Tanjungkarang Bandar Lampung-Indonesia Religious Court witnessed a surge in divorce petitions. June brings the highest volume of divorce cases. Divorce filings experienced a surge during the months of April, May, and June, as well as throughout the shutdown period. Second, divorce cases during the Covid-19 pandemic were precipitated by a variety of factors, with economic factors ranking highest. According to report data from the Tanjungkarang Religious Court, the factors of physical disability, imprisonment sentence, and coerced marriage account for the smallest number of divorce cases.   Implications of the research: In order to promote resilience and well-being among families amidst the uncertainties of the current pandemic, it is possible for policymakers, legal practitioners, and community stakeholders to acknowledge the difficulties presented by the disease and devise focused interventions to assist individuals navigating the process of marital dissolution.   Originality/value: Studying how COVID-19 has affected divorce rates in particular areas, such as Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, could shed light on the ways in which the pandemic has impacted socioeconomic variables, legal frameworks, and family dynamics there. Policymakers, attorneys, and social service providers can be more informed about the difficulties that families may encounter in times of crisis by having a better understanding of these effects. This knowledge can also help to shape the creation of support networks and laws that deal with these problems. Such studies can also add to the body of knowledge in academia regarding how significant crises affect legal systems and family structures.