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INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION

The notion of parental child abduction may seem foreign to many parents, however, in reality many children are abducted by a parent or caregiver. Parental child abduction is defined as the “taking, retention, or concealment of a child or children by a parent, other family member, or their agent,

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TERMINATING PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND RIGHTS

When a person has a child, the law dictates that they have to take care of, and are responsible for the child. The Children’s Act, 38 of 2005 speaks about “parental responsibilities and rights”, of which there are many. The Children’s Act explains these parental responsibilities and rights.  To

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DIVISION OF A JOINT ESTATE IN A DIVORCE

The common misconception made by parties in a divorce action based on a marriage in community of property is that the Court will decide on how the division of the property will take place, i.e. which party will remain owner of the immovable property or in most cases the

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MEDIATION AND DEALING WITH HIGH CONFLICT PEOPLE

Mediation involves a thorough discussion of what each side’s point of view is and what has happened in the past. High-conflict people, because of their self-sabotaging personalities, often make their own problems worse by blaming others, taking an all-or-nothing approach, having unmanaged emotions and resorting to extreme behaviours, which

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EXERCISING CONTACT WITH YOUR CHILDREN

EXERCISING CONTACT WITH YOUR CHILDREN

With the implementation of the Children’s Act, the term ‘access’ has been replaced with the term ‘contact’, which is defined as: ·         communicating on a regular basis with the child in any other manner. It is a child’s right to have contact with both of

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SURVIVING EMOTIONALLY DURING A DIVORCE

Divorce is generally a stressful and unsettling event. At minimum, a major relationship is ending, all sorts of routines are upset, and in the midst of the stress of transition there are legal hoops to jump through before things can be resolved. Add in the volatile emotions that are

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CHANGING YOUR MARITAL PROPERTY REGIME

In terms of South African Law, when a couple does not sign an antenuptial contract before getting married, the marital regime applicable to their marriage will be that of in community of property. This means that the couple will share equally in one joint estate, they are jointly and

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THE VALIDITY OF WILLS

In terms of the Wills Act, when someone executes his or her will, it must be done in accordance with certain rules/formalities. A will that is not executed in accordance with these formalities is invalid, i.e. it is of no force and effect and the contents of the will

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PATERNITY DISPUTES AND MAINTENANCE

Paternity disputes often arise in maintenance proceedings because maintenance claims are based upon paternity. Liability needs to be established, via a paternity suit. Paternity disputes may be launched if the child’s paternity is in question.  Unless the father or mother can prove otherwise, every child born from a marriage

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FINANCIAL ABUSE

When one thinks of abuse in a relationship, we typically focus on physical, emotional and verbal abuse. But financial abuse by a spouse or partner occurs in up to 99% of domestic violence cases. Financial abuse is a topic which is rarely spoken about. Because financial abuse is a

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