Photo by Christophe Dusabe on Unsplash. Guyana's divorce laws have been updated.
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The Government of Guyana has announced that the Matrimonial Causes Amendment Bill 2024 was passed in the National Assembly on Wednesday to align Guyana's divorce laws with modern notions of equality between men and women.
No one voted against the bill, which reforms the existing law by removing existing discriminatory provisions and thus ensures that the fundamental right to a remedy is protected.
In addition, the changes also allow for divorce without fault due to irreconcilable differences that have led to the “irreparable breakdown of the marriage”. They also provide for maintenance claims for men.
The proposed change in the law also follows a recent ruling by Chief Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire, who found Section 14 of the previous law to be discriminatory on the grounds of sex because it only entitled women to spousal maintenance after the divorce proceedings had been concluded.
Attorney General and Minister for Law Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, advocated for the change in the law, pointing out that the understanding of gender equality has evolved since the old legislation was drafted almost 100 years ago.
“The social values of 90 years ago, the family values of 90 years ago, the social and legal realities of 90 years ago are fundamentally different from those of today. The passage of time alone means that this law must be reformed,” he told the National Assembly.
Minister Nandlall reiterated the Government’s long-standing commitment to enacting laws that will transform the lives of virtually all Guyanese.
“Of the [beginning of] “During the term of this Parliament, we have passed nearly 100 bills touching and affecting almost every conceivable area of national life,” the Attorney General noted.
Susan Rodrigues, Minister in the Ministry of Housing and Water, supported the passage of the bill, saying the bill would improve Guyana's global standing in terms of human rights and gender equality.
“The amendment of our laws to provide for gender-neutral alimony arrangements in the event of divorce bodes well for Guyana’s chances of taking another step towards full gender equality,” she said.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Priya Manickchand expressed her joy that the amendment has finally been introduced in the National Assembly and explained the legal basis of the laws regulating marriage and divorce.
“I am very proud. I am very happy to say that this law will help us take care of women. This law will help us take care of men. This law will help us stay true to our Constitution… This law will help us preserve family relationships even when the family structure can no longer remain in the structure in which it was originally built,” she stressed.
Opposition MPs Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Volda Lawrence and Haimraj Rajkumar all supported the changes.
Source: Guyana Public Information.
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