Nana Lithur urges women to acquaint themselves with Spousal Bill

The Executive Director of Human Right and Advocacy Centre, on Friday appealed to women to acquaint themselves with the Property Rights and Spousal Bill to be abreast of their entitlement during separation or divorce.

The Bill which is before Parliament for passage into law would ensure equitable distribution of properties between couples during divorce.

Making the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, Nana Oye Lithur cited the refusal of either party to deny the other equal distribution of properties in case of divorce as one of the reasons for the Bill.

She noted that the Spousal Bill when passed would not only protect married couples, but unmarried women who might have lived with a man for some years.

She said the law would cover all women including housewives who would be entitled to 50 per cent of the wealth acquired during the marriage as they undertook household chores such as cooking, washing and caring for children and other marital commitments.

Nana Oye pointed out that, the passage of the Bill would ensure compliance with Article 22 of the 1992 Constitution, which mandated Parliament to enact legislation to ensure equal access to joint property during marriage and the equitable distribution of jointly acquired property on the dissolution of marriage.

She explained that the Bill was gender neutral and did not confine women or men to certain socially ascribed roles on the basis of sex, nor did it discriminate on the grounds of gender.

Nana Oye said the Bill would recognise all the three types of marriages in the country; under the Marriage Ordinance, the Marriage of Mohammedans Ordinance (Islamic marriage) and customary marriage.**