Women’s Charter 1961
Table of Contents
Long Title
Part 1 PRELIMINARY
1 Short title
2 Interpretation
3 Application
Part 2 MONOGAMOUS MARRIAGES
4 Disability to contract marriages
5 Void marriages
6 Offence
6A Marrying again during lifetime of husband or wife
6B Cohabitation caused by deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage
6C Marriage ceremony gone through fraudulently without lawful marriage
7 Continuance of marriage
Part 3 SOLEMNISATION OF MARRIAGES
8 Persons by whom marriages may be solemnised
9 Avoidance of marriages where either party is under minimum age for marriage
10 Marriages within prohibited degrees
11 Avoidance of marriages by subsisting prior marriage
11A Avoidance of marriages of convenience
12 Avoidance of marriages between persons of same sex
13 Consents
14 Notice of marriage
15 Signature on notice by person unable to write or to understand English language
16 Notice to be filed and published
17 Registrar to issue marriage licence on proof of conditions by statutory declaration
17A Marriage preparation programme
18 Marriage to take place within 3 months
19 Caveat
20 Proceedings if caveat entered
21 Special marriage licence
22 Requirements for valid marriage
23 Solemnisation of marriages
24 Religious ceremony
Part 4 REGISTRATION
25 Registration of marriages
26 Appointment of Registrar, Assistant Registrars and Deputy Registrars
27 State Marriage Register
28 Registration of marriage solemnised by Registrar
29 Registration of marriage not solemnised by Registrar
30 Registration where parties have not appeared within prescribed time
31 Copy of entry to be given
32 Unlawful registers
33 Legal effect of registration
Part 5 PENALTIES AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS RELATING TO SOLEMNISATION AND REGISTRATION OF MARRIAGES
34 Omission to appear before Deputy Registrar within prescribed time
35 Contravention of section 32
36 Interference with marriage
37 False oath, etc., for procuring marriage
38 False allegation in caveat
39 Unauthorised solemnisation of marriage
40 Offences relating to solemnisation of marriages
41 Destroying or falsifying State Marriage Register, etc.
42 Consent for prosecution
43 Correction of errors
44 (Repealed)
45 (Repealed)
Part 6 RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF HUSBAND AND WIFE
46 Rights and duties
47 Abolition of wife’s dependent domicile
48 Conciliation Officers
49 Duty of judge to consider possibility of reconciliation
50 Court may refer parties for mediation, etc.
51 Capacity of married women
52 Property of woman to be held by her as feme sole
53 Loans by wife to husband
54 Money and property derived from housekeeping allowance
55 Gifts by husband to wife
56 Remedies of married woman for protection and security of property
57 Wife’s antenuptial debts and liabilities
58 Actions in tort between husband and wife
59 Questions between husband and wife as to property to be decided in summary way
60 Married woman as executrix or trustee
61 Saving of existing settlements and power to make future settlements
62 Legal representative of married woman
63 Liability for breach of trust
Part 7 PROTECTION OF FAMILY
64 Interpretation of this Part
65 Protection order
66 Expedited order
67 Supplementary provisions with respect to orders under sections 65 and 66
Part 8 MAINTENANCE OF WIFE, INCAPACITATED HUSBAND AND CHILDREN
68 Duty of parents to maintain children
69 Court may order maintenance of wife, incapacitated husband and children
70 Duty to maintain child accepted as member of family
71 Enforcement of maintenance order
71A Bankerʼs guarantee
71B Financial counselling
71C Community service orders
72 Rescission and variation of order
73 Power of court to vary agreement for maintenance of child
74 Application of section 121
75 Application of Act to orders made under repealed Minor Offences Ordinance, etc.
76 Power of Family Court to refuse order where proceedings more convenient in General Division of High Court
77 Appeal
78 (Repealed)
79 Procedure
79A (Repealed)
Part 9 ENFORCEMENT OF MAINTENANCE ORDERS
80 Interpretation of this Part
81 Power of court to make attachment of earnings order
81A Service of attachment of earnings order
82 Nature of attachment of earnings order
83 Effect of attachment of earnings order
84 Duty of defendant and employer to comply with attachment of earnings order
85 Additional powers of court in attachment of earnings order proceedings
86 Obligation of defendant and employer to notify changes of employment and earnings
87 Power of court to determine what are earnings
88 Payment of money under attachment of earnings order
89 Earnings paid by Government or out of Consolidated Fund
90 Costs of proceedings
91 Penalties for non-compliance with attachment of earnings order and for giving false notice or statement
Part 10
Chapter 1 — DIVORCE
92 Interpretation of this Part
93 Jurisdiction of court in matrimonial proceedings
94 Restriction on filing of writ for divorce during first 3 years of marriage
94A Parenting programme
95 Irretrievable breakdown of marriage to be sole ground for divorce
96 Rules to provide for agreements to be referred to court
97 Intervention of Attorney-General
98 Relief for defendant in divorce proceedings
99 Interim judgment and proceedings thereafter
100 Proceedings for interim judgment of presumption of death and divorce
Chapter 2 — JUDICIAL SEPARATION
101 Judicial separation
102 Judicial separation no bar to writ for divorce
103 Judicially separated spouses not entitled to claim in intestacy of each other
Chapter 3 — NULLITY OF MARRIAGE
104 Writ for nullity of marriage
105 Grounds on which marriage is void
106 Grounds on which marriage is voidable
107 Bars to relief where marriage is voidable
108 Marriage governed by foreign law
109 Application of sections 97 and 99 to nullity proceedings
110 Effect of judgment of nullity in case of voidable marriage
111 Legitimacy of children of annulled marriages
Chapter 4 — FINANCIAL PROVISIONS CONSEQUENT ON MATRIMONIAL PROCEEDINGS
112 Power of court to order division of matrimonial assets
113 Power of court to order maintenance
114 Assessment of maintenance
115 Power of court to order security for maintenance
116 Compounding of maintenance
117 Duration of orders for maintenance
118 Power of court to vary orders for maintenance
119 Power of court to vary agreements for maintenance
120 Maintenance payable under order of court to be inalienable
121 Recovery of arrears of maintenance
Chapter 4A — FINANCIAL RELIEF CONSEQUENTIAL ON FOREIGN MATRIMONIAL PROCEEDINGS
121A Interpretation and application of this Chapter
121B Applications for financial relief after overseas divorce, etc.
121C Jurisdiction of court
121D Leave of court required for applications for financial relief
121E Interim orders for financial provision
121F Duty of court to consider whether Singapore is appropriate forum for application
121G Orders for financial relief
Chapter 5 — WELFARE OF CHILDREN
122 Meaning of "child"
123 Arrangements for welfare of children
124 Orders on welfare of children
125 Paramount consideration to be welfare of child
126 Orders subject to conditions
127 Power of court to order maintenance for children
128 Power of court to vary order for custody, etc.
129 Power of court to vary agreement for custody, etc.
130 Court to have regard to advice of welfare officers, etc.
131 Power of court to restrain taking of child out of Singapore
132 Power of court to set aside and prevent dispositions intended to defeat claims to maintenance
Chapter 6 — GENERAL PROVISIONS
133 Procedure
134 Evidence
135 (Repealed)
136 Power to rescind interim judgment in certain cases
137 Appeals
138 Power to allow intervention on terms
139 Family Justice Rules
Part 11 OFFENCES AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS
140 Offences relating to prostitution
141 Traffic in women and girls
142 Importation of woman or girl by false pretences
143 Permitting girl below the age of 16 to use premises for sexual penetration
144 Permitting mental defective to use premises for sexual penetration
145 Causing or encouraging prostitution of, girl below the age of 18 or sexual penetration with, or indecent assault on, girl below the age of 16
146 Persons living on or trading in prostitution, etc.
146A Remote communication service used for offering or facilitating provision of sexual services, etc.
147 Suppression of places of assignation
148 Suppression of brothels
149 Notice to owner and occupier
150 Termination of tenancy of places on conviction for permitting use as brothel, etc.
151 Demolition of structural contrivances for facilitating running of place of assignation or of brothel
152 Authority of courts to issue arrest and search warrants
153 Trials in camera in certain cases
154 Trial of offences
155 Detention pending judicial proceedings
156 Director‑General may examine women and girls and person in charge of them
157 Inspection
158 Security on departure of woman or girl from Singapore
159 Woman or girl below the age of 21 trained or used for immoral purposes, etc.
160 Director‑General may order detention or commitment of woman or girl in certain cases
161 Period of detention or commitment of woman or girl
162 Marriage not to be contracted without consent of Director‑General
163 Women and girls in urgent need of refuge
164 Transfer of women or girls from one place of safety to another place of safety within Singapore, etc.
165 Removal of women or girls to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam or Hong Kong by order of Minister
166 Appeal
167 Women and girls may be received into and detained in Singapore
168 Women and girls so received to be subject to local law
169 Women and girls detained to be subject to rules
170 Director‑General may cause persons to be photographed
171 Power to summon and examine persons in certain circumstances
172 Record of evidence
173 Power of search
174 Power of arrest and seizure
175 Presumption arising out of warrants
176 Appointment of officers
177 Minister may establish places of safety
177A Restriction on publication of information on place of safety or resident of place of safety
178 Boards of Visitors
179 Discharge Committees
Part 12 MISCELLANEOUS
180 Rules
180A Protection from personal liability
181 Marriages solemnised before 15 September 1961 deemed to be registered under this Act
182 Voluntary registration of marriages solemnised under religion or custom
183 Recognition of marriages contracted in Embassies, etc., in Singapore
184 Validity of customary marriages contracted on or after 15 September 1961 and before 2 June 1967
185 Saving for petitions presented before 1 June 1981
186 Savings for proceedings before 1 May 1997
Legislative History
Abbreviations
Comparative Table