Fathers’ Day becoming Fatherless Day

Press Release

On the occasion of Fathers’ Day – 20 june

Subject: Fathers’ Day becoming Fatherless Day

Fathers’ Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June every year, but for many children 20^th June will be a Fatherless Day this year.

Every year more and more children are becoming fatherless thanks to the Family Courts which grant sole and total custody of children to mothers, with total disregard to the love and affection that fathers and children have towards each other.

Fathers are denied custody as a rule rather than an exception. If at all visitation is ordered to fathers, it is limited to 30 minutes or 1 hour in a month contrary to the requirement of the UN resolution that no child should be denied access to either parent.

Indian Family Courts appear to have declared a war against fathers and are adopting every possible means to create a “fatherless society” and to reduce men to mere ATM machines and sperm donors.

Cases filed in Family Courts linger on indefinitely while wives enjoy full custody of children, interim maintenance and child support at the expense of husbands.

The attitude of the Family Courts in the matters of ordering child custody/visitation, maintenance and alimony is completely biased against husbands. Even in the few cases where fathers manage to obtain visitation rights, no action is taken against mothers who disobey the orders. On the other hand, fathers who try to visit their children are accused of trying to kidnap their own children.

While there is much emphasis on a wife’s rights on husbands and children, no order is passed on the responsibilities of a wife towards herself and her matrimonial family. Husbands, on the other hand, are heaped with disproportionate responsibilities with no rights over their wives or children.

The brazenly anti-male mindset of Indian Family Courts is making it a crime to be born male in India. The continued onslaught on men and manhood is gradually destroying the faith of men on the system of marriage and societal values as a whole. As a result many men are being forced to commit suicide or shun marriage altogether paving the way for a fatherless society full of single mothers in the future.

We strongly denounce the attitude of the Family Courts which consider children as the exclusive property of the mother and totally deny access to the father and his family. We strongly condemn the belief of the Family Courts that the husband alone is bound to earn and maintain his wife and children, even though the wife is either earning or sufficiently qualified to earn.

Family Courts should ensure that fathers are given equal custody and unhindered access to children that mothers enjoy. The practice of showing children for 30 minutes or 1 hour like a TV show to a father without providing him an opportunity to demonstrate his fatherly care and affection should be done away with.

The practice of passing orders for monetary compensation should be done away with and instead, both parents should be directed to share the responsibilities like buying medical insurance, paying the school fee, purchasing clothes, books etc., for children based on their respective and combined financial capacities.

AIMWA led a Nationwide Boycott of Family Courts on 18^th June 2010, to highlight the above issues. A peaceful protest was held in the Nampally Court premises. A memorandum was submitted to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of High Court of AP and the Principal Judges of Family Courts in the city stating that the demands we made were just and reasonable and that the non-implementation of our demands will result in serious consequences to men, women, children, families and the society as a whole. Over 400 fathers and 50 supporters have signed the petition containing out demands in the Family Courts in Hyderabad.