There is the need for the inclusion of legal counselling in all procedures of marriages to keep prospective couples well informed about the legal implications of the step they were taking.
This, according to Ms Annie Emefa Fiawoo, a private legal practitioner and Managing Partner Anniemef Law Group, would go a long way to reduce the rate of divorce, especially among young couples.
“Every registered marriage cannot be dissolved within two years and this is what many people do not know. We have had many people seeking divorce in less than two years of their marriages and they get shocked when we inform them that they cannot have a divorce until after two years.”
“This tells us that people just rush into marriages and do not seek adequate legal information about marriage before registration,” she added.
She made the assertion at the launch of Marriage Link Consult (M-Link Consult) a marriage and relationship consulting firm in Accra yesterday.
Ms Fiawoo bemoaned the high rate of divorce reported in the country, blaming the situation on impatience and infidelity.
However, she indicated that the situation could be salvaged when couples undergo periodic counselling or engage in occasional activities to spice up their union.
She also cautioned against domestic violence, adding that it was risky for people to continue to stay in abusive marriages or situations that could cost their lives.
Certified Counselor and representative of M-Link Consult, Ms Elorm Oduro in her submission said M-Link had been established with the objective of promoting social happiness and well-being through the institution of marriage.
Services such as pre-marital counselling for both faith and non faith based individuals to adequately prepare them for marriage, marriage events organisation to assist couples have stress-free marriage events, customised to suit their budget and marriage “juice up” services for couples facing challenges in their marriages, among other services were rendered by her outfit.
She stated that many marriages had ended in divorce due to the unavailability of couples to seek resolution, saying many couples start thinking about divorce immediately marital problems set in.
She, therefore, advised couples to exercise patience in dealing with marriage matters which were not life-threatening instead of seeing divorce as the only way out.
Also, she underscored the need for couples to make forgiveness a priority while having it in mind that no one was above counselling.
“No matter our age we all do need counselling at certain points in our lives,” she stressed.
Personal Assistant to the National Chief Imam, Dr Abubakar Mohamed Marzuq, on his part commended M-Link Consult for the initiative, adding that it would go a long way to save a lot of marriages.
“This is a very good initiative and I must say making it a non- denominational entity is what makes it more special because it will make it easy for everyone, no matter their religion or beliefs, to walk in and get served,” he added.
Former Ambassador of Ghana to Zimbabwe, Mr Sylvanus Tettey-Tamaklo who chaired the occasion called for more education on the intestate succession law.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
