What the law says Sadly, one of the causes of divorce or relationship breakdown is domestic abuse, whether physical or emotional. The situation is traumatic enough on its own, but when there are children of the marriage or partnership, it can become very complicated. Numerous competing rights need to be balanced. How do you go […]
How to determine if child sexual abuse allegations are legitimate or fabricated Sexual abuse of children happens. It is tragic and can have lasting consequences for the child concerned. But it is a difficult and delicate matter to discuss. It is undoubtedly a factor in some divorces, but reliable, authoritative information on child abuse in […]
We’ve written about divorcing with dignity in the past, something we think is important for everyone involved, not least the children of the union. Sadly, dignity often goes out the window when a marriage ends painfully. In this case that came before the Gauteng High Court last month, it appears that dignity disappeared before the […]
Lockdown can be a terrifying ordeal if a woman is confined with an abusive partner 15 May, 2020: Important update to level 4 regulations: When the level 4 regulations were announced, they included the movement of persons and goods across provincial. metropolitan or district boundaries, including: Relocation to a new place of residence The movement […]
But you can still document the evidence to use later If you have suffered sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, or any other type of physical abuse, reporting it can be as traumatic as the experience itself. As the Netflix drama/documentary “Unbelievable” shows, women are not always believed when reporting rape to the authorities. It takes […]
However much you are hurting, you must take some practical steps in the first 72 hours when your marriage is over We’ve written a lot about divorce with dignity, staying friends with your ex, co-parenting, etc. We are the first to advocate an amicable divorce. It saves everyone – especially children – a lot of […]
Most victims of sexual assault know their attackers…and it often starts insidiously Along with the rest of the country, we at SD Law were outraged and heartbroken by the spate of violent attacks on women that marked this past winter. Although assaults by strangers do happen, in the vast majority of cases, the victim knows […]
Narcissistic abuse We’ve written a lot about narcissistic control and abusive relationships in the past (click here). Why do we keep revisiting this topic? Because as divorce attorneys we see a disproportionate number of narcissistic personality disorder cases. Unsurprisingly, for the partners of individuals who suffer from these conditions, life can become unbearable and the breakdown […]
