A law clinic has been launched at Wits University to help those trapped in fraudulent marriages.
The University of the Witwatersrand has pledged its skills and resources to assist those who have been failed by the system and are unable to reverse fraudulent marriages. The Wits Law Clinic, which represents indigent members of the public, said it has seen an increase in the number of victims whose lives have been destroyed by this issue.
The clinic is asking people to come forward in preparation for a class action lawsuit against the Department of Home Affairs. “The clinic is currently working with women who have been dealt an injustice by inefficiency at the Department of Home Affairs,” they said in a statement.
The victims who have opted into this lawsuit have shared their stories of being married to strangers without their knowledge and how it has resulted in a life of violation, despair and anger.
Professor Philippa Kruger, from the family, gender and child unit at the Law Clinic shared her feelings with the reality of many of their victims. “It is a tragedy that the state is failing in its mandate to protect and uphold the rule of law in the country. Law abiding citizens are held hostage, firstly by criminals and then victimised by inefficient administrators. We are calling on women and men who have been affected by fraudulent marriages to contact us as we endeavour to get relief.”
Kruger listed some of the problems associated with fraudulent marriages.
- Many of the children born to mothers trapped in fraudulent marriages do not have birth certificates and will struggle to obtain identity documents (IDs) later in life
- Alleged illegal spouses have ruined the credit ratings of the women they married and they have subsequently lost employment opportunities
- The women have been unable to marry their chosen partners and have suffered scorn and indignity in their communities
- Some of the women who have had to apply for new, valid IDs had their applications rejected.
Victims across the country interested in joining the lawsuit can contact Phillippa Kruger at Philippa.
Kruger@wits.ac.za or 011 717 8562 or, alternatively, visit the Wits Law Clinic on Mondays between 8am and 12pm.
