Nagpur: Even as the world celebrates women, some disgruntled fathers will be going on a hunger strike this weekend. This would be their way of registering dissatisfaction with legal and government authorities who have been constantly disregarding their demands. Some of these include introducing shared parenting for children of separated couples and provide all fathers contesting a marital discord case visitation rights to their children.

The immediate trigger for the strike is the governor of Karnataka not heeding to one such request. NGO Save Indian Family Foundation – Fathers’ Rights Wing (SIFF- FRW) had sent a memorandum to the governor requesting to direct the judiciary in the state to grant immediate visitation rights to fathers in all cases of marital discord by March 2. The hunger strike will be staged at Bangalore’s Freedom Park on March 7 and 8.

“There are numerous cases wherein separated fathers are paying through their nose for the upkeep of their former wife and their children. Despite this, they never get to see these children. The society as well as judiciary sees the mother as the more important parent without understanding that both parents are equally important for a child’s proper development. I get more than 120 calls everyday from such fathers,” said SIFF president Rajesh Vakharia . He said it was a proven fact that children coming from single parent homes suffered from parental alienation syndrome.

B Narsingh Kumar, south India head of SIFF-FRW who is conducting the hunger strike, felt it was ironical that on one hand women empowerment was going on and on the other they were still seen as incapable of taking care of themselves, financially. “Maintenance and alimony being provided by former husbands underline this fact. Such laws also show how women were manipulating the system for their own good and how men continue to be at the receiving end,” he said.

STRIKING A BALANCE

Demands –

Shared Parenting: Reforms in the existing child visitation/custody laws; ‘Shared parenting’ must be the default arrangement if case of separation or divorce between spouses

Visitation Orders: Fathers should be given visitation rights in all divorce/matrimonial discord cases within 15 days of the petition

Maintenance: Courts must immediately deny maintenance/alimony to any woman who opposes or indirectly attempts to prevent separated husband from accessing and parenting the children and also to working/highly educated mothers

Contempt Proceedings: Courts must initiate contempt proceedings suo motu against mothers who do not respect visitation orders

Child Abuse: Using children as pawns or means of earning money in custody disputes should be treated as child abuse

Grandparents: Under no circumstances should the grandparents be denied access to the children

Counseling to Single Mothers: Single mothers should be given mandatory counseling to increase involvement of biological father in children’s lives

Technology: Fathers’ use of technology like Skype and video conferencing to get in touch with children should not be curtailed by judiciary

