Kuala terengganu: A sharp rise in divorce cases in Terengganu is being seen as an early warning of a social crisis that requires urgent and comprehensive action, said Ladang state assemblyman Zuraida Mohd Noor. She highlighted that in 2025, there were 3,810 recorded divorce cases, a significant increase from 2,798 in 2024 and 1,802 in 2023, marking the highest numbers in seven years.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, data from the Syariah Judiciary Department Malaysia placed Terengganu among the eight states with the highest number of divorce cases in the first nine months of last year. Zuraida emphasized that these statistics should serve as a warning of an impending social crisis. She pointed out that most divorces occurred among young couples married for less than a decade, citing economic pressures, poor communication, and emotional instability as primary causes.
During the debate on the Royal Address at the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly sitting at Wisma Darul Iman, Zuraida proposed four strategic measures to combat this issue. These measures included boosting economic stability through job and entrepreneurship opportunities, making financial management education mandatory before marriage, enhancing pre-marriage courses with practical modules, addressing the impact of third-party interference in marriages, and reinforcing intervention on social issues, particularly drug addiction. She also noted that divorce should not be viewed as a failure but rather a last resort when a marriage becomes unsustainable.
In addition to the rise in divorce cases, Zuraida addressed the issue of domestic violence, reporting 296 cases in Terengganu in 2025, with conflicts and drug influence identified as major causes.
Switching focus to health concerns, Zuraida pointed to a 40 percent increase in cancer cases among women over five years, with figures rising from 1,464 in 2021 to 2,004 in 2025, based on data from Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital (HSNZ). The most common types of cancer include breast, colorectal, uterine, leukaemia, and ovarian cancers, with obesity being a significant contributing factor, consistent with findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey.
Zuraida urged the implementation of three measures to address these health issues: enforcing stricter school food nutrition standards, providing practical healthy eating education, and raising awareness about the link between obesity and cancer risk among women.