Getting A Divorce In Singapore
Getting a divorce usually burdens a person with a social stigma that make it difficult for married people who are trapped in an unstable marriage to get themselves out of such a state. These stigmas cannot be avoided but they can be gotten over, especially if the spouse seeking to get out of such a dilemma seeks the help of one of the many great family lawyers in Singapore.
Good family lawyers in Singapore could help “empty” the marriage contract with fairness and minimum bitterness, distress and humiliation through proper legal counsel. After all, a marriage is a form of legal contract where partners have to fulfill their obligations to each other and to their sons and daughters. And in the event that the responsibilities stated in the contract are not met, a partner can file a petition for divorce to end such a contract.
In Singapore, there are two types of laws that govern divorce. These are the Women’s Charter (for non-Muslim) and the Muslim laws. Muslim divorces are handled by the Muslim Law Court, commonly known as the Shariah Court. This entity is similar to the non-Muslim Supreme court and as such, this court can approve or reject the request of divorce through the decision of the president of the Shariah Court.
The Women’s Charter Act is an act of Parliament that regulates monogamous marriages, the privileges of wives and children children, the duties and the rights of married people, the protection of women and divorce. This law allows either partner to file for a petition for divorce with these following grounds: cruelty, adultery, seven years of living apart from each other, three years after desertion, and mental illness. Women can also file for divorce if their husbands committed bigamy, sodomy, rape and bestiality in the course of their union.
To qualify for a divorce petition, the couple in question must both residents of Singapore and into third year of marriage. But when there are extreme circumstances, an exception to the three-year marriage rule is made. For example, if the wife is the victim of extreme hardship or exceptional depravity of their spouse, they can be considered for the exception.