Section 260: Family abandonment

260. Family abandonment (1) Tout père ou mère de famille (1) Any father or mother who, qui abandonne sans motif grave, without any serious reason, abanpendant plus de 2 mois, la résidence dons for more than 2 months the familiale et se soustrait à tout ou par- family residence and eludes all or tie des obligations d’ordre moral ou part of his or her moral or material d’ordre matériel résultant de l’autorité obligations resulting from parental parentale commet une offense. authority shall commit an offence. (2) Le mari qui, sans motif grave, (2) Any husband who without abandonne volontairement pendant serious reason, voluntarily abandons plus de 2 mois sa femme la sachant for more than 2 months his wife enceinte commet une offense. whom he knows to be pregnant shall commit an offence. (3) Le père ou la mère qui com- (3) Any father or mother who, promet gravement par de mauvais through ill-treatment, pernicious extraitements, par des exemples perni- amples of habitual drunkenness or cieux d’ivrognerie habituelle ou notorious ill-conduct, lack of care or d’inconduite notoire, par un défaut direction, seriously endangers the de soins ou par un manque de direc- health, security or morality of any of tion soit la santé, soit la sécurité, his minor children shall commit an soit la moralité de ses enfants ou offence. d’un de ses enfants mineurs commet une offense. [Issue 2] C57 – 70 Revised Laws of Mauritius (4) A partner of any father or mother who, through any means specified in subsection (3), seriously endangers the health, security or morality of any of his partner’s minor children shall commit an offence. (5) Any person who commits an offence under this section shall, on conviction, be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years and to a fine not exceeding 100,000 rupees. [S. 260 added by Act 13 of 1998; amended by s. 8 of Act 36 of 2008 w.e.f. 6 December 2008.]