Workshop on property rights of spouses bill opens.

Koforidua, Dec. 9, GNA-A two-day workshop to sensitized stakeholders on the Property Rights of Spouses Bill(PRSB) before parliament and the Interstate Succession Bill(ISB) had opened at Koforidua.

The workshop is being organized by the African Women Lawyers Association(AWLA) in collaboration with LAWA -Alumnae Incorporated(LAWA-Ghana) with sponsorship from the Legal Sector Reform Programme of the German Development Cooperation(GTZ). The workshop is being attended by women groups, representatives of religious organizations, Ministries and Departments, Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and traditional authorities.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms. Edna Kuma, Executive Director of AWLA, said the property rights of spouses in Ghana is guided by multiple laws including customary law, Islamic law and statute. She explained that, under each of the regimes, females were usually at the losing end when it comes to sharing of properties acquired in marriage during divorce or when the husband dies.

Ms. Kuma said the PRSB and the ISB seek to ensure certainty,in matters concerning property rights of spouses, ensure fairness and clarify the law for effective implementation.

She explained that, the PRSB protect the interest of partners in all sorts of marriages including polygamous marriages and co-habitation. Ms. Kuma said while the bill provided for fairness in the sharing of properties jointly acquired by spouses in marriages, it also recognizes the right to separate properties in cases where the other partner had not contributed towards the acquisition of the property. She explained that, under the bill when a spouse gives an investment money to the partner and the partner managed the investment well and it grew, the investment is recognized as jointly acquired wealth. Ms. Kuma said under the bill, people married under customary law or even people in cohabitation relationship could go to court to seek redress.