When Homes Collapse Behind Closed Doors
If the Valley wishes to preserve the institution of marriage, it must first confront the truths that are breaking it
In Kashmir, marriage has long been regarded not merely as a union between two individuals, but as a sacred social compact binding families, traditions, and community honour. That is precisely why the growing strain on marital relationships in the Valley should concern us deeply. What was once whispered about in private is now visible in family courts, police complaints, maintenance petitions, and broken households across the valley. The cracks are no longer isolated. They are widening. Recent reports suggest an unmistakable rise in matrimonial disputes in Jammu and Kashmir. Some reports suggest that family courts in Srinagar and other districts are receiving 3 to 5 divorce petitions daily, while 2,448 matrimonial cases and 4,862 maintenance-related cases are pending in courts across the Union Territory. Separately, data placed before the legislature showed that domestic violence cases rose from 893 in 2023–24 to 1,979 in 2024–25 — an increase of 121 percent. These are not just numbers. They are signs of emotional collapse inside homes once expected to offer shelter and stability. But this phenomenon must not be reduced to easy moral panic. The old explanation — that “modernity” alone is destroying marriage is lazy and dishonest. Marriages are breaking for many reasons: domestic violence, emotional neglect, rising ego clashes, economic stress, interference by extended families, unrealistic expectations, and the growing mismatch between traditional family structures and the aspirations of educated young couples. Reports also point to tensions over love marriages, pressure from in-laws, and disputes over whether couples should live in joint or nuclear family settings. At the same time, a difficult truth must be acknowledged: some marriages deserve to end. A society cannot preach endurance to women trapped in abuse, humiliation, or suffocation. Greater legal awareness and women’s willingness to walk out of violent or degrading relationships is not social decay; in many cases, it is social awakening. The challenge is not to glorify divorce, nor to stigmatise it, but to ask why so many marriages are collapsing in the first place. Kashmir needs a serious social response. Premarital counselling, family mediation, mental health support, quicker legal relief, and community-level awareness about respect, consent, and responsibility are urgently needed. Marriage cannot survive on ritual alone. It needs patience, dignity, emotional maturity, and justice. If the Valley wishes to preserve the institution of marriage, it must first confront the truths that are breaking it.
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