Matrimonial Causes Act, 1/09/1992. Laws of Seychelles 1996. Part III. Nullity and separation Section 12.1: "Subject to this Section, a court may, on an application, grant an order of nullity if: e) the parties to the marriage were not respectively male and female". The Penal Code, 1/02/1955. Laws of Seychelles 1996. Section 160, stipulates the offence of Bigamy: "Any person who, having a husband or wife living, goes through a ceremony of marriage […] is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for five years". The Code includes several other offences relating to the protection of the family, however, because they concern more specifically the disadvantaged groups, the Articles had been included below. In the Seychelles the Government has endeavoured to create mechanism to accomplish with the commitment of the Republic of "to develop a democratic system which will ensure the creation of an adequate and progressive social order guaranteeing food, clothing, shelter, education, health and steadily rising standard of living for all Seychellois". (Declaration of the Constitution, 3rd paragraph) As Article 37 of the Constitution stipulates: " The State recognises the right of every citizen to a decent and dignified existence and with a view to ensuring that its citizens are not left unprovided for by reason of incapacity to work or involuntary unemployment undertakes to maintain a system of social security". Social Security Act. Social Security (Benefits) (Amendment) Regulations, 27/01/2003. New benefits had been approved by these Regulations which, according to regulation 47, establish, amongst others, the rates for1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Sickness Benefit Maternity Benefit Injury Benefit Orphan's and Abandoned Child's Benefit Invalidity Benefit Retirement Pension