I came across a report this year, which stated “for better growth of kid, they will need the support of their father”. Support here is not financial but the emotional one, kids who bonds well with their fathers have better chances of growth in comparison to those, who are fatherless.

Being fatherless is great pain for a kid, it effect his or her mental growth and even their acceptance in society. Earlier a child could become fatherless by the incident of demise of his / her father or who have been abandoned by their parents. But today courts are planning a major role in making kids fatherless.

Fathers have fewer rights on their kids when compared to mother’s right in India. When couple separate mother takes the kid with her and stops father access to the kid. If father tries to get the custody of kid or tries to keep the kid with him, he is not allowed to do so. He is advised to handover the kid to the mother, as it is in the best interest of kid.

But the real reason why mother take kid along with her is not out of love and affection but to use the kid as bait to extract money from kid’s father in the form of monthly maintenance or to ask big alimony in return for the kid as part of one time settlement. There have been many such instances where mothers have done it, but then neither society nor judiciary has come forward to say that mother has misused her rights and her affection for kid was nothing less than a dubious act to trap father.

Mothers claim to the best guardian of the kid but a reality check shows it otherwise. Mothers may stop fathers from visiting the kid where he/she is housed but during visits to court they behave as if father was never bothered to know about the well-being of kid. In fact court room is the only place where fathers can be in the company of the kid without fear of allegation. But his display of love is taken otherwise by the spectators, thanks to the mindset of the society.

What is more important to kid than education? It is court hearings for mothers who ensure are kids are brought to all hearing in court without fail to cash on emotional factor before the judge. At times kids have to sacrifice their exam to attend court cases. I am not against kids being brought to court for hearing but against the treatment mother give to the kids at court room.

Before coming to court, mothers teach kid not to go near father in court premises. If they do so, they will face the music once they are back home. Out of fear kids stay away from father. Think about the mental trauma undergone by kids during these times. While mothers are busy with lawyer for case related issues that she is not able to give proper care to her kid. Fathers even if they want to help the kid are either not allowed or forced to be mere spectator to entire situation. Isn’t it injustice to fathers?

Currently situation of fathers in India is no less than sperm donors. The only difference between sperm donor and father is that, father knows the details about his kids, while sperm donors are not aware about his kids. The similarity in both situations is that father’s don’t have access to kids. Kids lead fatherless life.

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