Marriage and family life

50. While taking note of the enactment of an Act Governing Registered Partnerships of 2010, which provides for a legal framework for cohabiting couples of the same sex, the Committee notes the lack of an equivalent regulation for couples of the opposite sex, in particular concerning the provision of maintenance and the distribution of property on dissolution of the relationship, which may negatively affect the woman partner. It is also concerned at the lack of data on forced marriages.

51. The Committee recommends the State party to regulate the rights and obligations of unmarried cohabiting couples of the opposite sex in order to provide protection with regard to the provision of maintenance and the distribution of property after the cessation of cohabitation. It should also provide data on forced marriages disaggregated by age and ethnicity of the victim, and the specific measures taken to combat forced marriages.

Link to full text of the report: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/docs/co/CEDAW.C.AUT.CO.7-8.pdf