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GCE O/L Civic Education study materials
GCE O/L Civic Education study resources

GCE O/L Civic Education: Social Institutions: Family, Community and Religion

GCE O/L Civic Education · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Social Institutions: Family, Community and Religion

This domain tests how family, community and religion perform social functions, the legal rules that govern marriage and family life, and the safeguards for vulnerable members.

Family and marriage

  • Functions of the family include socialisation, emotional support, economic provision and care of dependants.
  • Marriage is registered under different legal regimes: the General Marriage Ordinance for marriages under general law, the Kandyan Marriage and Divorce Act, the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, and Thesawalamai customary rules in Jaffna.
  • The legal minimum age for marriage under general law is 18; the Muslim regime applies different rules, which is a recognised area of reform debate.

Community and protection

  • Community organisations, including Grama Niladhari divisions, funeral aid societies and shramadana work groups, deliver mutual support.
  • The Domestic Violence Act No. 34 of 2005 provides protection orders for victims within the home.
  • The Protection of Elders Act No. 9 of 2000 addresses neglect of older persons; the National Child Protection Authority handles child abuse; Sri Lanka ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991.

Religion

Article 9 recognises Buddhism as foremost while Article 10 guarantees freedom of conscience and Article 14(1)(e) protects religious practice. The State must protect every religion without privileging one in a way that denies others their freedom.

Worked example. A couple married in a registry office wants a divorce. Reasoning: they married under the General Marriage Ordinance, so dissolution follows that Ordinance through the courts; a religious or customary divorce has no legal effect for a general-law marriage. Registration is what determines the applicable regime.

Traps that cost marks

  • Assuming all marriages in Sri Lanka are dissolved by the same law.
  • Confusing religious ceremony with legal registration.
  • Treating Article 9 as cancelling Article 10.
  • Confusing the Domestic Violence Act with the criminal law on assault.