One Happy Island? More Divorces in Aruba than Antilles

What happened to “One Happy Island”? It does not seem to be the case when in comes to wedded bliss in Aruba as compared to the rest of the Antilles.

“And it raises the necessary questions”, concluded the by-now former president Luis de Lannoy, who was succeeded last month by Lisbeth Hoefdraad, in the preface of the annual report.   “Compared with all couples in the Antilles together, more couples in Aruba get a divorce.  Would there be something wrong with the conjugal fidelity and the wedded happiness in Aruba”?

Amigoe; July 28, 2007: More divorces in Aruba than Antilles  

WILLEMSTAD – Of all the divorces filed with the Joint Court last year, the majority were from Aruba; 616 versus 418 in Curacao .  

Bonaire and St. Maarten filed respectively 43 and 162 divorces.  The figures in the annual report show more varieties and peculiarities between the six islands.  “And it raises the necessary questions”, concluded the by-now former president Luis de Lannoy, who was succeeded last month by Lisbeth Hoefdraad, in the preface of the annual report.   “Compared with all couples in the Antilles together, more couples in Aruba get a divorce.  Would there be something wrong with the conjugal fidelity and the wedded happiness in Aruba ?  And why are there in Bonaire more requests for custody placing (40) than in Curacao and Aruba (38 and 40)?  These islands have more inhabitants.  Does Bonaire have a problem with growing youth?”  

De Lannoy also indicated briefly the appearance of the Supervisory Council on the Bar.  Last year, as much as 102 of these cases were filed in Curacao, while Aruba filed only 12 and St. Maarten 55.  “Are the lawyers in Curacao much more wicked and do they make more mistakes than their Aruban learned friend”, wonders De Lannoy.  The necessary interested information can in any case be filtered from the figures and tables presented.  “It looks like sudoko.  I wish you much reading- and puzzle pleasure.”   

On all the islands last year, more suits were submitted than were handled.   The difference between these influx and efflux on the islands is in general not so big.  In Aruba for example, 2339 new criminal cases were entered in the procedure and 2282 trials were sentenced; in Curacao this was 1464 and 1613; in Bonaire 174 and 163; and in St. Maarten 1692 and 1662.  The figures for civil cases last year were 2925 versus 3053 in Aruba; 380 versus 292 in Bonaire; 3864 versus 2774 in Curacao ; and 1055 versus 768 in St. Maarten.  They have tried to calculate the average completion time by means of a random spot check of 10 percent of all the closed cases.  The results in civil procedures are 151 days in Bonaire, 56 days in Curacao , and 93 in St. Maarten.  In lawsuit procedures, these were 6 days in St. Maarten and 29 days in Aruba .  In tax cases, 617 days on all the islands.