Attack against responsible fathers

IN your report “Child custody applications soared by 44% last year” (May 17), the reporter Noel Baker claimed that “a legal source said the increase was not due to more marriages falling apart in the recession, as divorce and separation statistics have remained consistent.

Instead, more unmarried fathers have lost their jobs, and to claim allowances for their children — such as additional social welfare or points towards social housing — they need a court order to show they have part-time or full guardianship or custody”.

Guardianship can be obtained quite easily with the consent of the mother of the child and so a court order is not necessary to claim any social welfare allowances as a Statutory Declaration, signed by both parents, will suffice.

Also, as unemployment rates for men have been steadily increasing since 2007, there must be some other reason for the sudden rush of custody applications and it is this: Regardless of the relationship with the child’s mother, any unmarried father who wants to have his children remain in this country needs to apply for custody due to the Court of Justice of the European Union ruling, where it was found that the family rights of an Irish unmarried father who helped rear his children over a 10-year period were not breached by their mother bringing them to England.

As it is obvious that unmarried fathers are applying in droves for custody of their children to prevent them being legally abducted rather than to increase their social welfare allowances, I believe the article was an unfair and unwarranted attack against fathers behaving responsibly.

Cathal Garvey

Slane

Co Meath