A Family Affair - The Status of Cohabitation in Namibia
The Legal Assistance Centre is pleased to announce the release of the report A Family Affair –The Status of Cohabitation in Namibia, which has been handed over to the Law Reform and Development Commission in the hope that it will provide the basis for law reform on this topic.
Sacky Shanghala (Chairperson of the LRDC) and Dianne Hubbard
(Co-ordinator of the Gender Research and Advocacy Project at the LAC)The law currently provides little protection for cohabiting couples in Namibia. However cohabitation is common as recent national surveys indicate that 7-15% of Namibian adults are in cohabitation relationships. This is likely to be an under-estimate of the true figures as many people may not report that they are cohabiting due to the stigma that may be attached to these relationships.
The purpose of the study A Family Affair –The Status of Cohabitation in Namibia was to assess the status of cohabitation in Namibia, to gauge public opinion on the need for law reform and to make recommendations for legislative change. Data was collected through 61 individual interviews with cohabitants and key informants and 10 focus group discussions. The data was collected in 2002 and in 2009, with the second round of field research being conducted in cooperation with the Law Reform and Development Commission. The report also gives examples of how different laws across the world address the issue of cohabitation.
The research assessed public opinion on the need for law reforms. A strong majority of persons consulted were in favour of improved legal protection for cohabitating partners. Participants felt particularly strongly that there should be some mechanism for fair division of property, with more mixed opinions on duties of maintenance after a cohabitation relationship ends.
Read the press release in full
For more information please contact:
Dianne Hubbard
Co-ordinator
Gender Research and Advocacy Project
Legal Assistance Centre
dhubbard@lac.org.na
061 264443Read more about cohabitation
