Obaa Yaa
Our maid is pregnant
Dear Obaa Yaa,
My family hired the services of a maid to help in caring for our child since the two of us are civil servants. Our greatest worry is that this girl is pregnant but hails from a poor family.
The parent’s greatest wish was that she must raise some money to enable them send her to school.
As Christians who know the essence of education and having considered how poor and helpless her parents gave us much concern.
We decided to end the contract since it would be difficult to retain her in the house.
My wife was disturbed about how her stay with us has ended and wished that we keep the maid under our care but I disagreed with her proposal because the longer we allow her to stay in the house, the more complex our problem will be.
Do you think we have acted responsibly in this case?
Kwame, Accra.
Dear Kwame,
This can be likened to a breach of contract, however you have acted humanely and this is a character of a true Christian.
The decision to let her go is the best because keeping her with you will automatically add more cost to your expenditure and increase your stress by ensuring her welfare. Thank God that the fault did not come from you.
You ought to know the gentleman who has impregnated her, know the boy’s parents and inform the parents of the maid about what has happened. These are the initial steps you have to take before you send the maid to her parents.
Try to buy her some parting gifts, maintain a good relationship between you and her parents to monitor her progress in life.
At this stage she may be traumatised so handle her with care and teach her the appropriate steps to take
Dear Obaa Yaa,
My marriage is falling apart because I spent more than an hour at the market, and I honestly do not know what to do anymore.
Anytime I visit the market, my husband gives me only one hour to return home regardless of wherever I have gotten to.
This has brought disagreement between my husband and I .What started as a disagreement between my husband and I has now become a family affair.
I never imagined that a simple trip to the market would lead to such a painful situation in my marriage.
He has told me to pack from our matrimonial home until further notice.
Baaba, Apam
Dear Baaba,
Do not allow family pressure to determine the future of your marriage.
Your husband’s family may genuinely want peace, but their desire to restore the marriage should not take priority over your emotional well-being.
Marriage reconciliation should not be about getting a woman back to her husband’s house at all costs.
You can respect your husband’s family without allowing them to dictate your decision.
On a more serious note, your husband should acknowledge the harm caused by his actions and apologise sincerely if he wrongfully sent you away. However, an apology alone is not enough to repair a marriage.
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Dear Obaa Yaa,
I am a young lady of 27 years, living in a single room at Lapaz. I have stayed there for three years and I always pay my rent on time.
Last month, my landlord called me and said he had doubled the rent c from GH₵600 to GH₵1,200.
He says everything had increased so I must pay double or leave by the end of this month. I don’t have anywhere to go and I don’t have that amount. When I tried to beg him, he said if I don’t pay, he will lock my room.
Please advise me, what should I do? I am stressed.
Worried tenant.
Dear worried tenant,
I don’t know why your landlord is acting this way. He cannot just lock your room or eject you like that. In Ghana, the Rent Act mandates a landlord to give proper written notice and go through the Rent Control Department. Locking your room or throwing your things out is illegal.
You can explain to him that you cannot afford 100% at once. Propose something you can afford, maybe ask for time to adjust.
Go to the Rent Control office near you (with your old receipt and any message from your landlord). They will invite him and help you both agree on a fair increment. Usually, an increment should be reasonable, not 100% overnight.
While Rent Control is handling it, quietly start looking at other options, just in case he insists on not renewing your rent after your current rent expires.
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