“He (Shesh) divorced me over the phone, saying that I was not his right wife,” said Hasmuna, who is living with her parents after her in-laws kicked her out of the house following the divorce. Hasmuna said her husband does not support her and their two children.

Khusmuda Khatun was  also divorced for she had gone to her maternal uncle’s house in India for the purpose of treating her son. Her husband works in Mumbai. She said she works as a wage labourer to support her three children.

The trend of Muslim women being divorced for no apparent reasons is on the rise in the district. According to available data, more than 300 Muslim women are divorced in Parsadewad alone.

However, many divorced women are deprived of the share of husband’s property as they lack marriage registration as well as birth registration of their children. Though the court delivered a verdict in favour of Hasmuna recently, she is yet to receive her share of her husband’s property for want of marriage registration. Chadani Khatun, a tenth grader at local school, said Muslim women are deprived of their rights as they neither register their marriage nor children’s births. “The trend of divorce for no apparent reason could end if marriages and births in the community were registered,” she said.

Sunita Bhattarai of District Women and Children Office, said they are launching campaigns to minimise gender-based violence. Former VDC chairman Anawarul Hak said the government and society should create awareness on birth and marriage registration in Muslim community in order to control social evils.