This is an open letter to the Minister of Justice Honourable Mark J Golding regarding the Family Court:

Dear Editor,

I was brought before the courts for maintenance of my child. The following took place:

1. The judge ordered me to pay $17,500 monthly; he did not look at my payslip to see that my monthly net salary is $23,000.

2. Included in that $17,500 is the judge’s estimation of electricity costs, when he does not know if the premises is legally or illegally connected to a power supply. If the premises is illegally connected, the judge is contributing to illegal electricity connections and compensating the mother unfairly if she does not pay for electricity.

3. When the courts hand down its order, how do the courts ensure that the child is being taken care of?

Mr Golding, this approach of the Family Court is placing the child in a more abusive situation, which can lead to a dysfunctional child. A child needs more than just maintenance money, a child needs love by both parents. It is time the Family Court takes greater care in seeing that the child also benefits from its ruling and not the parent(s).

I suggest that among the things to be put in place are that:

1. A receipt should be provided to the court, so that the other parent involved knows how the maintenance money is being spent.

2. Mandatory visits allowed to the parent not living with the child, as the child needs both parents.

3. Greater care should be taken in handing down a payment order. The ability to pay, savings and living expenses should be considered. This will give room to the parent(s) and add less burden on the court to have to issue warrants and have the police force pursue the parent to serve that warrant, when they are needed elsewhere.

4. The Child Development Agency works more closely with the Family Court.

Anthony

an2mouth@yahoo.com