The trend is also worrying officials trying to revive marriage, and birth, rates which dropped to record lows last year, leading to the first decline in population numbers in 60 years.

The drop in couples tieing the knot comes as authorities deal with a declining birth rate and a falling population.

Supporters of the code see it as a way to ensure gender equality but opponents, including some Muslim leaders, see it as a government strategy to dilute rights sanctioned under Islam.

Deputy Minister Aiman Athirah Sabu says the committee will propose suitable programmes to be presented to the Cabinet in the near future.

Recent surveys have shown attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Singapore have become more accepting.

Singapore becomes the latest Asian country to move toward ending discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.

The punishment for polygamy without court permission has also been raised, from six months in jail or a fine of RM1,000 to one year in jail or a fine of RM3,000.

Morocco's 2004 family code puts the legal age of marriage at 18, but it includes a clause allowing judges to give families special dispensation to marry off children under that age.

A Canadian couple were the first to marry under a new law on the personal status of non-Muslims in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi.

LFL says the government is bound by its obligations under various international treaties and cannot allow individual states to have the final say in the matter.

The international community, which has frozen billions in central bank funds and development spending, has made women's rights a key element of any future engagement with Afghanistan.

The number of divorces meanwhile fell to 45,754 from 56,624 in 2019.