Personal Rights

Marriage does not extinguish individual legal personality. Rights to personal liberty, privacy, reputation and to one’s own pre-marital property survive marriage, and domestic violence or coercive control is actionable under the Anti-Domestic Violence Law through protection orders and, where applicable, criminal complaint.

Support of Children

Both parents share the duty to support minor children regardless of marital status. Maintenance is assessed by reference to the child’s actual needs, the parents’ means and local living standards, and may be varied as circumstances change. Refusal to pay is enforceable and, in persistent cases, may amount to a criminal offence.

Joint Property

Income and property acquired during marriage are presumptively joint. Disposal of significant joint assets — particularly real property — requires the consent of both spouses; a transfer made without consent may be set aside where the transferee did not act in good faith. Post-divorce, a party who discovers concealed or transferred assets may bring a further partition claim within three years of discovery.