Lawyer and member of the Ghana Academy of Professional Muslims, Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Basit is advising Ghanaian women to sign prenuptial agreements before they finalise their marital process.

Prenuptial agreements are usually practiced in the Western and Arab World.

However, Abdul-Basit believes that employing the practice in the Muslim community and beyond in Ghana would be beneficial for both parties in a marriage, especially women.

She explained that “unfortunately for us women, sometimes people take advantage of us,” in marriages.

According to her, women typically enter a marriage without knowing what to expect of the union and that some women are unlucky after entering the life bond with a man who is not for their wife’s life goals, and this eventually becomes a problem.

She therefore advised women that prior to a marriage, when the expectations of the union are discussed, that women “put it into writing,” so that the “document becomes legally binding.

In the likely event, that one partner does not go by the terms and conditions of the agreement, then the other party can sue for damages.

Her recommendation comes primarily to offer some legal protection for women who can get stuck in a bind in their marriages.

She said “set the tone when the love is still strong” to avoid problems down the line.