The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I am writing to bring awareness to a social crisis that has permeated Bahamian society, and that is fatherhood absenteeism.

This past Sunday – June 18th, Father’s Day was celebrated across the globe. The significance of Father’s Day is to honour fathers and father figures for their love, support and guidance. Moreover, it is a day to celebrate the important role that fathers play in our lives.

In The Bahamas, fathers, particularly those whose children were born out of wedlock or those divested from once established marriages, are at a major legal and social disadvantage.

The Child Protection Act of 2007 – the legislation governing the duties and responsibilities of parents as well as other matters such as maintenance, custody and guardianship, states that the mother of any child born out of wedlock shall be the primary guardian of that child. This particular piece of legislation also makes provision for Bahamian judges to issue orders relative to custody and access once a divorce has been finalized and in most instances orders are issued in which the mother retains primary care and control while the father has specified access to the child.

It is my humble submission that this legislation is out-dated and infringes on the rights of the child. According to articles seven, nine and eight of The United Nations Convention on The Rights of The Child; a child has the right to be known and cared for by both parents, a child has the right to maintain personal relations and direct contact with both parents and a child has the right to be raised by both parents, respectively.

It is not the fault of the child that he or she was born outside the confines of marriage nor is it his or her fault that his or her parents are divorced and no longer living together. As such, the child should not have to be deprived of his or her right to have a meaningful relationship with both parents.

According to research conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control and the United States Department of Justice and United States Census Bureau, children raised by one parent account for 90% of homeless and runaway children, 85% children with behavioral disorders, 85% prisoners, 75% children in substance abuse centres, 71% high school drop-outs, 70% juveniles in state institutions and 63% teen suicides.

I am publicly calling for an amendment to the child protection act to allow for the mother and father of a child born out of wedlock to be granted joint legal custody of that child upon the successful presentation of a legally recognized declaration of paternity and for Bahamian judges to issue orders promoting equal parenting.

As The Bahamas approaches its fiftieth year as an independent nation, this writer finds it just and fit to eliminate any and all vestiges of inequality in our legislation.

A CONCERNED FATHER

Nassau,

June 19, 2023.