It is time that the laws in this country be changed, so that there is a balance
it is my view that both fathers and mothers be made to share in the responsibility in bringing up their children.

There is a lot of talk going around about single mothers, a no thought given to the many single fathers out there who have been taken care of their children, with no help from the mother. :raw:

I yet to hear of a case, where a father takes a mother to court to obtain child support, it may seem strange hey due to the bias in the system, that it is the sole responsibility for the father to financially support his kids without any input from the mother........ i know of men who supports their children by giving the mother monies which she sometime uses for herself and sometimes a new boyfriend........also some women who have many children for different men and collect support as a means of stability(baby machine).

i also know of a father who had five kids, when the mother parties all night leaving the kids with him, and didn't give him a penny to help out. had it been the other way he whould have been hauled before the courts and made to pay or go to jail if he didn't.

Since we are in the habit of adopting everything american i think we need to adopt their practice in making deadbeat mothers pay child support.


If you share this view let me hear ya.

I always thought that raising a child is the responsibility of both parents if they are both alive. If they choose not to be together, they still should be held obligated to contribute to the upbringing and welfare of the child. Whether it's the mother or father, they have the same responsibility.

I agree there seems to be no concern for the father who is doing his best to support his child, while mothers are out partying; but that is how our society has become, I don't know why. Just as if a man says he was raped...who cares.....nobody does....even thought this man has been violated.

As a man, I think men need to be more involved with their children, so that we can work on changing the public outlook on all men as deadbeat dads. Then we can move forward to get the "EQUAL RIGHTS" we deserve, just as much as the women in our society.


Cool?....cool..... :cool:

yeah... my wife is always saying I must spend more time with my son, I see him all day long when I'm not at work, and we hang out around the house mostly.

But she thinks we need to go out together more. I'm trying, but financially speaking and husdbandwise I am all there. I guess it is hard because my dad never really spent a lot of time with me - so I sorta don't how to be friend to my son - just a father. But I am working on it all the time.

With regard to child support though, I thought that women are instructed to pay if they are working - maybe I watch too much judge Judy and assumed it was the same here.

Personally, I can't see how a parent would not support their child financially, even it meant paying the bills instead of giving the other parent a huge wad of cash.

If I were to separate from my wife, I would still pay for my child's schooling, etc. If she was not trust worthy with the money I would pay it directly to the school, grocery store, etc and give her a copy of the reciepts as proof of how the money was spent and just give her a little cash if she needed money as well.

Same applies with women, if the guy will waste the money, then pay it to the store/institute, etc - but not supporting a child created by 2 people is quite unfair and ungodly as well.

:tup:

yes i do agree with you, your suggestions make sense :cheers: because you have the evidence to show, that you contributed financially , because in some cases the father do give money to the mother, and because of greed she takes him to court saying that he dosen't :hot: and there comes the court order which sometimes order him to pay less than what he whould normally give her, a friend of mine use to give his ex-girlfriend about $300:00 cash a month for their daughter, in addition to shool fees clothing etc... she met another guy who influence her to take him to court for support..... the court ruled that he should pay $150:00 a month because she said he didn't give her anything........now who suffers?? :footmouth .

yes i do agree with you, your suggestions make sense :cheers: because you have the evidence to show, that you contributed financially , because in some cases the father do give money to the mother, and because of greed she takes him to court saying that he dosen't :hot: and there comes the court order which sometimes order him to pay less than what he whould normally give her, a friend of mine use to give his ex-girlfriend about $300:00 cash a month for their daughter, in addition to shool fees clothing etc... she met another guy who influence her to take him to court for support..... the court ruled that he should pay $150:00 a month because she said he didn't give her anything........now who suffers?? :footmouth .


I agree with you TOTALLY! People always think that men dont need help, but fact is "If anyone has children you need help!" I have known women to leave and say let him raise the kids, and he does without her help at All. It just amaze me that a women would and could leave there children. Expect for death. So if it is good for one then it is good for the other.

:tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :cheers: :dancer2:

well i guess no one agrees with my suggestion :chicken: ................i'll move on :driving:

hell yeah, if men and women are truly equal then the law should treat them equally

I think it is quite just. For many years there have been many complaints by the females in society that there is no equality between the sexes in the country. If we are to truly be equal then we should not only be equal in terms of our hiring practices or our salaries, but we should be equal in terms of our legal obligation as well. With the new wave of feminism crying for the rights of women, women must also accept the obligations that come along with equality that they cry for. In fact, I am sure that they will also find the idea of women paying for child support just as men do.

Personally I don't feel this is a matter of equality.

Women push out the kids so they know they produced a life without fail, the man may nt be sure - but the women ain't gonna forget going through labor.

The way I see it is simple - 2 people made the child - so 2 people should take care of it. If the wife doesn't have any income then she is expected to stay home and raise the kids while the father brings in the cash.

However, you can search high and low to find a women providing for her family while her husband/spouse stays home and raises the kids - not in the bahamas anyway.

I feel that if a women has a source of income it is only fair for her to help provide for the child she helped to create. Unfortunately, many women don't feel the same way - they feel it is the man's duty to take care of the family, and if he slips up - they will roll him out and find a new man to take care of her and the kids, that's why we have many families with 5 kids with different parents.

it is only fair for 2 people to take care of the children they create together, and if one does not have a salary they should either get a job or compensate/comprimise in some other way.

Well said old man......... :bye:

:realmad:

"Wumman, you lef' me behin'
Wit' eight babies to min'
an' a house in good order to keep!
While you was out playin'
and havin' a fine time,
I had to rock those eight babies to sleep!"

George Symonnette, circa 1950. :dancer2:

I think some one needs to contact Mr Duncombe ...he is doing a fine job fighting for the rights of fathers.....hats off :cheers:

am rather surprise that this thread hasn't gotten much respose, i guess fellas them happy about men not having much rights when it comes to access to their children...or just comfortable that only men is suppose to be responsible for the upbringing and support of their children... when there are some dead beat watless women out there....

There seems to be at least one thing the organisation Bahamian Fathers for Children Everywhere and the Minister of Social Services and Development Melanie Griffin agree upon and that is that an existing law that relates to the rights of children needs to be amended.

The organization’s president, Clevor Dumcombe, has been agitating for changes to the Affiliation of Proceedings Act for quite some time.

Mr. Duncombe has drawn the link between children falling prey to heinous crimes and inadequate social policies and laws.

Just recently, he and his group renewed calls for The Bahamas to adopt the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“Under the Affiliate Proceedings Act, fathers of children born out of wedlock lose their parenting rights,” Mr. Duncombe said. “I believe that this causes serious problems because those children will not be prepared to deal with the many challenges they would face in their adolescent stage.

“If you go into the courts you would see young children who are deemed uncontrollable. They are being hauled before the courts facing huge sentences for unbelievable crimes. These children were not born this way.”

He added, “I believe that it is the government’s obligation to protect these children and provide the parents with the necessary skills to assist the children so that we all can live productive lives because when one parent fails, the entire society feels the pinch.”

Minister Griffin said on Monday that a committee has been formed, led by Senate President Sharon Wilson, to review the piece of legislation in question.

Mrs. Wilson has worked in the domestic court for many years while serving as a magistrate.

The committee is expected to submit recommendations by the end of this month.

“I believe that the law needs to be changed. That was my position when I was in opposition, it is my position now,” Minister Griffin said.

She pointed to the need for more parents to be responsible when it comes to caring for their children even if they are no longer in a relationship with the other parent.

“The reality is that in The Bahamas so long as there is a relationship, parents may take care of their responsibilities, but without a relationship the children suffer,” Minister Griffin said. “So the law has to step in and make sure that these children are taken care off.

According to the Minister, under the UN Convention, the physical, social, and psychological well being of children is given ultimate priority.

She is just back from Geneva, Switzerland where she presented the initial report for The Bahamas, which is seeking to endorse the UN Convention.