Introduction According to Cherlin (1992) a divorce is a judicial declaration of separating a husband and wife from all matrimonial obligations. Divorce cases have been rising drastically since the 1970s, when the divorce laws were eased. In the past divorce was a very rare occurrence but today it’s like the song of the day. Today marriage can be dissolved in a court of law or any other competent body. In this essay we are going to discuss the causes and effects of divorce on children. Divorce is a very painful process for both the children and the parents. We are going to start by looking at the causes of divorce. These causes vary from one family to another therefore we are going to discuss the most common causes. Sharlene (1995 ) states that there are many causes that lead to divorce. The first cause is lack of commitment. Commitment in a marriage provides safety and security so when a marriage is deprived that, couples can hardly express their feelings and thoughts openly which in the long run leads to a bad marriage. The second cause is the inability to solve disagreements and conflicts. This is mostly due to lack of good communication skills in a marriage. Continuous fights in a marriage can lead to a lot of damages in a marriage leading to divorce. The third cause of divorce is abusive marriages. There are two types of abuse in a marriage. The emotional and the physical abuse. Physical abuse is when one spouse is physically injured and bruised by