Alienated Fathers’ Group Praises Rosianne Cutajar For Flagging Discrimination Against Men In Family Courts
A group representing fathers who feel alienated from their children following separation and divorce cases has praised PL MP Rosianne Cutajar for warning against discrimination in the family courts.
“Flimkien Missirijiet Inqumu thanks you for being the first Member of Parliament to speak openly about gender discrimination against fathers and long-discredited social norms in our family court,” the group said in an open letter to Cutajar.
“This kind of discrimination is not only directly harmful to all parties involved but is often used as an extension to spousal abuse after a de facto separation.”
“We also applaud the wisdom of your words and agree wholeheartedly with you that equal shared parenting tends to benefit fathers, mothers, and children themselves. Equal shared parenting is the hallmark of a progressive, liberal society which cares for the individual and the disenfranchised.”
In Parliament yesterday, Cutajar warned that family courts are blocking fathers from giving adequate access to their own children due to an ingrained patriarchal mentality.
“It cannot be that the law is being used as a smokescreen for some children to be denied the right to see one of their parents,” she said.
“If we believe in equality and are against gender stereotypes, then the courts shouldn’t rule that the mother is the main caretaker while the father has limited access to is children.”
“Just as they have joint custody over their children, access time should be more balanced too. Mothers will be better off because they’ll have more personal time and I’m convinced that children will benefit from more equal access time.”
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