Women’s Charter (Amendment) Bill

Bill No. 10/1975

Read the first time on 25th February 1975.
An Act to amend the Women’s Charter (Chapter 47 of the Revised Edition).
Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows: —
Short title
1.  This Act may be cited as the Women’s Charter (Amendment) Act, 1975.
Amendment of section 93
2.  Section 93 of the Women’s Charter is hereby amended by deleting subsection (2) thereof and substituting therefor the following: —
(2)  The child of a void marriage born on or after the date of the commencement of the Women’s Charter (Amendment) Act, 1975 shall be deemed to be the legitimate child of his parents if at the date of such void marriage both or either of the parties reasonably believed that the marriage was valid.”.
New section 168
3.  The Women’s Charter is hereby amended by inserting immediately after section 167 thereof the following new section: —
Validity of customary marriages contracted on or after 15th September, 1961 and before 2nd June, 1967
168.—(1)  For the avoidance of doubt, it is hereby declared that every marriage contracted or effected on or after the 15th day of September 1961 and before the 2nd day of June 1967 in accordance with the law, religion, custom or usage of the parties or any of the parties thereto shall be valid if such marriage is not contracted or effected in contravention of the provisions of sections 4 and 10 of this Act.
(2)  This section shall not apply to any such marriage which has been declared to be null and void by an order of the High Court prior to the date of the commencement of the Women’s Charter (Amendment) Act, 1975.”.