Custody and maintenance (children)

According to the Maintenance Act, every ‘parent’ has an obligation to maintain his or her unmarried child if that child is a minor or is physically or mentally infirmed. Regarding matters of custody, the Children (Guardianship and Custody) Act states: “The court may, upon the application of the father or mother of a child, make such order as it may think fit regarding the custody of such child and the right of access thereto of either parent, having regard to the welfare of the child, and to the conduct of the parents, and to the wishes as well of the mother as of the father, and may alter, vary, or discharge such order on the application of either parent.”