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Equal Rights of the Customary Marriage Law of 1998.

Country/Territory
Liberia
Document type
Legislation
Date
1998 (2003)
Source
FAO, FAOLEX
Long title
An Act to Govern the Devolution of Estates and Establish Rights of Inheritance for Spouses of Both Statutory and Customary Marriages.
Subject
Land & soil
Keyword
Gender Governance Human rights Equity Legal proceedings/administrative proceedings Inheritance Traditional knowledge/indigenous knowledge
Geographical area
Africa, Least Developed Countries, North Atlantic, Western Africa
Entry into force notes
This Act shall take effect immediately upon publication in handbills.
Abstract

This Law aims to govern the evolution of estates and establishes rights of inheritance for spouses of both statutory and customary marriages. In particular, it states that rights, duties and liabilities of the statutory wife shall likewise be accorded to all customary wives, consistent with and pursuant to the provisions contained in the Act Adopting a New Domestic Relations Law, known as Title 9 of the Liberian Code of Laws Revised, 1973, and which is hereby fully incorporated. The recovery of dowry (token) from the wife or her parents by the husband is hereby prohibited. Any husband who collects or attempts to collect dowry from his wife or her parent by use of force, directly or indirectly, has committed a felony of the first degree, and upon conviction in a court of competent jurisdiction, shall be fined. Immediately upon marriage, the customary wife shall be entitled to one-third of her husband’s property personal or real and vice versa regardless of whether or not he/she helped him/her to acquire said property. It shall be the responsibility of customary spouses to work in partnership and adequately maintain and support their household, according to their financial or physical means.

Full text
English
Website
www.ilo.org