The defendant employed the plaintiff as a librarian in 1995, but dismissed her from her position in 2000 because she married a polygamist. The plaintiff challenged the dismissal as unfair and asked for an order that her former employer, the defendant, pay compensation and long service pay. In siding with the plaintiff, the Court considered the anti-discrimination provisions of the Constitution, given that the facts underlying the offence took place prior to the Employment Act coming into effect. The Court concluded that the termination of the plaintiff qualified as discrimination. The reasoning underlying the termination effectively prevented the plaintiff from marrying a man of her choice, and from engaging in economic activity through employment, both fundamental constitutionally-protected rights. The Court emphasized that it did not matter that the defendant’s conditions of service prohibited polygamous marriages among its workforce, as such a prohibition contravened the Constitution. In closing, the Court ordered the parties to produce documents and other material relevant to the assessment of compensation for the plaintiff.
Women and Justice: Keywords
Domestic Case Law
Mwanamanga v. Malamulo Mission Hospital Industrial Relations Court of Malawi (2005)
Dėl bažnytinės santuokos registracijos Nr. 6/94 (On Marriages Registered in Church) Konstitucinis Teismas (Constitutional Court) (1994)
This case considers conformity of a Constitutional provision declaring that the State recognizes marriages registered in church with the Matrimonial and Family Code, which states that only civil marriages have legal effect. A widow was refused inheritance from her deceased spouse because their marriage was not contracted in a civil office before the passage of the Constitution. The Court affirmed that Constitutional provisions could not be applied retroactively, and thus only after 1992 when the legislation came into force can a church marriage be recognized by the State. English translation available here.
Šioje byloje nagrinėjamos konstitucinės nuostatos, skelbiančios, kad valstybė pripažįsta bažnyčioje įregistruotas santuokas, atitikimas santuokos ir šeimos kodeksui, kuriame teigiama, kad teisinę galią turi tik civilinės santuokos. Našlei buvo atsisakyta išduoti paveldėjimo teisės liudijimą, nes santuoka su vėlioniu nebuvo sudaryta civilinės metrikacijos institucijose iki Konstitucijos priėmimo. Teismas patvirtino, kad konstitucinės nuostatos negali būti taikomos atgaline data, todėl tik po 1992 m., kai įstatymas įsigaliojo, valstybė gali pripažinti bažnytinę santuoką.
Pun Devi Maharjan v GoN, Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and Others Supreme Court of Nepal (2008)
A petition claimed that the traditional practice of electing young girls as Kumaris, or “goddesses”, who are expected to follow certain social restrictions and appear at religious festivals violated the rights of the child. After ordering a study the Court found that this practice did not prevent the Kumari from getting an education or qualify as child labor. Rather, the Court found Kumaris to be an important cultural and religious institution and ordered compensation for former Kumaris who had not been socially reintegrated and ordered a study to find recommendations for preserving the rights, interests, and social security of current and ex-Kumaris. This case shows an astute consideration of the balance between cultural preservation and child’s rights in a country with deep cultural and religious traditions. Additionally, it sets the important precedent of considering the practical well-being and rights of the child before implementing human rights reforms.