Adultery identified as one of the leading causes of divorce in Ghana

Divorce has become common in society, as most married men and women dissolve their marriages for reasons best known to them.

A private legal practitioner, Sena Hortor, has attributed the upsurge in divorce cases to adultery.

According to the legal practitioner, the law has six factors it looks at to dissolve a marriage, and one of the leading causes he mentioned was adultery.

Appearing as a guest on GhanaWeb’s Legal Agenda, he mentioned that adultery constitutes 70 percent of divorce cases that are brought to court to be dissolved.

“There are about six facts in law that can be used to establish or prove that the marriage has broken down beyond reconciliation. One of the first ones, which I believe is one of the leading causes of the dissolution of marriages or divorces in Ghana, is adultery.

“If you look at the cases that come before you or the number of cases that are filed at the divorce matrimonial court, you will realise that the majority of them—at least more than 70% of them—are grounded on adultery.”

Another factor Sena Hortor mentioned is unreasonable behaviour.

“The other one is unreasonable behaviour. There are certain behaviours that a party within a marriage exhibits, and one of them finds it intolerable to be able to live with the person. We also have separation for five years and separation for two years. The difference between the two is that if you bring an action for separation for two years, you must get the consent of the other party, but for five years, you don’t need the consent of the other party.”

Other issues regarding the process of divorce and the challenges faced by both parties were also discussed on the show hosted by Matilda Boateng Nartey.

Watch the full interview below:

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ED/ADG