We must not only recognize men with wallets – Law Lecturer

Tracy Robinson

Senior Law Lecturer at the University Of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus, Tracy Robinson, is of the opinion that imprisonment is not a  good way to deal with fathers who are not taking care of their children.

She said this while addressing a conference Thursday evening  at the Fort Young Hotel dubbed, “Family Laws, Institutions in Transition: Rights, Rhetoric and Reform.”

Robinson, who sees Caribbean Family Law as being heavily influence by old colonial and “unsuitably legislation” that are wholly imported from England, wants Dominica to reform legislation where family law is concerned.

Robinson pointed out that current laws concerning child maintenance are inadequate because they alienate the father from the child and in many cases the father cannot pay child maintenance fees because they are away in prison.  “The law tells us you are a father for the purposes of supporting this child; it doesn’t say you are a parent raising this child,” she stated.

The Oxford trained Jamaican specialist and author of several publications on domestic violence, family and gender law believes that “we must not only recognize men with wallets.”

“We need modern law dealing with custody which respects the status of fathers as parents.” Robinson proposes.

The Law Lecturer added unless there is modernization of family laws, “our children will not be fully protected.”

The event was organized by the UWI Open Campus Dominica and the National Bank of Dominica.

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12 Comments

  1. Muslim_always
    May 8, 2011

    Only Islamic law is the way, men will return to their rightful place. Men are protectors and maintainers of women.

    Oh young men, leave paganism, embrace Islam, once you start practicing and refusing them, they will dress like ladies and not like prostitutes.

    Oh young men, fear Allah, leave off the religion of your slave masters (Christianity and materialism).

    Oh young men, do not listen to the lies and propaganda by the American zionist illuminati media, learn about Islam the only monotheistic way of life on earth.

    The society is a mess because men and women are not fulfilling their roles. The society is in a mess because young men and women do not fear Allah. Oh young men and women come to Islam.

  2. soldier crab
    May 6, 2011

    It takes a foreigner to educate Dominican because my country name starts witha dommy. If you jail a man for child maintainance which he owes $3800 to spend 6 months imprisonment when he reurns he has another 6months to pay is best he stay in jail and take a course for law, at that time when he returns he can be a lawyer. W must not only blame the men but also the women. They are not married and take their own free to make all the children. They are hot and spicy. Yo ne’ coco show.

  3. Monkey Hill
    May 6, 2011

    I agree with the lecturer. Yes the laws need to be revised to garnish these guys wages that have a full time job but yet do not take care of their responsibilties. They have the latest clothing and rides, put on this public display of wealth but yet you will not take care of their kid(s). Shame some of these guys also by putting their business in public. Such as JOHN DOE( his picture posted next to his name) DEAT BEAT DAD OWE SO MUCH IN BACK CHILD SUPPORT, it should be played just before the death announcement at every news time. This will do two things, 1. Shame that guy who is not standing up to his responsiblilty and 2. Let women know that smooth operator can’t take of what he have now what make you thing he will be able to take care of you. So women will at least be put on notice. Now I dont only blame these men but some women have to take responsibility for some of the positions they are in with these dead beat dad, there are alot of warning signs but these women just live for the moment and think that when they reach a certain age it is time to produce with any guy that they like, so sometime they create that monster of a situation. Now i am man and I totally agree before a guy go to prison to live on the hard working tax paying public we should exhaust all other option such as garnishing his wages. He should be imprison hard labor at minimum wage, whatever money he earn while serving hard labor should be used to pay that child support. ( he is already getting free housing, food, showers on the tax payer while in prison). And women dont make a sister or friend convince you not to take him to court do whats best for that child. So women wise up.

  4. Anonymous
    May 6, 2011

    Awww my old lecturer. Hi MS. RObinson.

  5. BB
    May 6, 2011

    Some of the men are just dead-beat and they do need some form of punishment to force them to make support payments. Imprisonment however, is not the answer. On the flip side, some women only care about the support payments and could not care less if the child sees the father.

    One possible solution: if you have no plans to settle with the other person whether in a common-law relationship or by marriage, use a condom. Spare the child the hardship.

    • tiny
      May 6, 2011

      yeah yeah yeah …use condom…but the fact is they didn’t and we have al living brathing child with needs….so either your tax money take care of them or………………get the dead beat dad shine shoes, go aroung askin people to clean their yards, cutt grasss……….do whatever it takes t feeed their kids

  6. tiny
    May 6, 2011

    what the hell is this woman taling about……………the fathers cannot pay th fees because they are away in prison?…………that’s why tey are there in lthe first place………….its not because they can’t pay………….it’s because they refuse to take care to their kids…………………..

    what is all women in dominica just take their 1,2,3,4,5 and 10 year to the sid e of a river and just live them there. these women would be seen as the most heartless human being, ther would be outcry form the public to jail these women.

    well these fathers treat their kids the exact way …they get a woman pregnant and turn their back.
    these women find some way to take care of their kids. i know women who dont have jobs….but their kids eat…..where do you think they get the money from to feed their kids……this woman has no idea what women go through to take care of their kids.
    the child or children is eating, they have clojthes on their back,…..the mojther are doing that….they are providing for their kids….and these are high uneducated unemplyed women…. so why can’t the fathers do it tooo

    youn have a child………..find some way to feed it and take careof it…………period

    • Ian
      May 6, 2011

      Please let us be more intelligent with such a discussion. Tracy Robinson is right to a great extent with her experience and training. What she is basically saying is not just for the law to be more lenient on the men. I am a man with my experience that i will share in a short way and you will understand.
      The fact remains that there are good men and bad men women likewise. The law needs to be adjusted to benefit the child and not just giving support to the mothers when they take a man to the court. You see, what i have realized is that certain magistrates act like feminists and refuse to hear anything a man have to say regarding the situation, i am not making excuses because i am a man but the court orders are only centered around monetary contribution on the part of the father and you would get the impression that the father have no important part to play in the child’s life. The law cause the women to be complacent knowing that they are favored and these things create a certain imbalance.
      Now, who am i to be saying this? I am a man who went through it and it was not like i never took care of my child, i was taken to court because the impression was that they would have asked me to pay more money. I issued all my supporting documents to show that i was in support of my child yet still i was slapped with a court order. I expected the Magistrate to not favor she neither me but to give justice for the child, yet, no matter what i said it made no sense cause it seem like all men are the same. This is wrong, it is not good for our children and i will be happy when this law is repaired when it will create a more fair balanced environment for the innocent children. I reckon that some women use kids as weapons and this is dangerous.

      Well said Miss Tracy Robinson.

    • BB
      May 6, 2011

      And how is a father who is in prison going to improve the condition of the child and mother?

      There are other ways to make the fathers pay. That way, the father works to make his support payments. What you want is some kind of vengeful solution which does nothing the fhe children. The desired result is food in teh children’e bellies, clothes on t heir backs and a roof over their heads….not to see their fathers languish in prison.

      • tiny
        May 6, 2011

        i’m guessing if they get raped there they will try their bet to support thir child and in so doing stay out of jail……got to do wht it takes…

        • Ian
          May 6, 2011

          Hummm! :?:

  7. mml
    May 6, 2011

    totally agree!

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