A synopsis of major Men's Issues

There are many aspects of matrimonial and family law which are unacceptable. We identify the major issues :

• 'no-fault' divorce, coupled with mother-preference for custody is creating about 100,000 cases each year in which the father faces the most deep-seated injustices imaginable i.e. of loss of children, home, life savings and future income;
• monies paid for child maintenance ensure that a woman who remarries has : unearned income which she did not have before divorce, and hence a higher income than before, and a higher income than a normal mother - in other words she profits from marriage and divorce;
• child maintenance, which in the UK totals about £2.75 Billion p.a., is entirely unaccountable monies i.e. the father does not know if it has been spent on a new frock or on a night out - probably the only monies handed over in the UK which are not accounted for;
• solicitors and barristers, as a body, make about 25%-33% of their income from family assets stripped quite unnecessarily from families during the legal process of separation and divorce;
• decisions about children and assets are made in closed (secret) courts, in which the public and press are not allowed;
• decisions about children are essentially made by unqualified and untrained Court Welfare Officers, who have a formal written policy to discriminate against fathers - see the NAPO policy issue;
• children's issues are not resolved in objective terms i.e. not necessarily in the children's best interests;
• it is correct to say that the system of matrimonial and family law is :

  corrupt - as it does not operate as Parliament intended;

  degenerate - as the principles applied would not be accepted by the public (if they knew what was going on);

  out of control - as our representations to the authorities have consistently, over years, resulted in no remedies;

• this system has been introduced by corrupt judges, and developed by lawyers and social 'scientists', without the public or Parliament being consulted or even informed;
• human rights laws are massively compromised - however, despite applications to the European Court of Human Rights, and submissions to the UN Human Rights Commission, since about 1992, these bodies refuse to act effectively, and so nothing has changed.

Our publications and campaigns pages give further details and much case study evidence of these facts.

A informal briefing is as follows :

Marriage

At present 75% of all divorces are called for by wives. The Emperor's New Clothes survey of divorce men found that a man pays £29,306 to his lawyers and transfers £57,966 to his wife of which she then pays £20,000 to her lawyers. Thus lawyers benefit by £49,306 on average per divorce.

If a man takes the step of marrying and has children:

• He has a 50/50 chance of: divorcing, losing custody of his children and paying £87,272 (avg)
• He will have a 1 in 3 chance of losing his home
• He will have a 1 in 10 chance of losing contact with his children for ever

If a women takes the step of marrying and has children:

• It is almost certain she will keep her children
• She will also have a 1 in 3 chance of losing her home
• Have a 50/50 chance she will benefit by £37,966 (avg)

Family Courts

Family courts have a powerful default of awarding custody to the mothers in 91% of the cases. This is regardless of the mothers conduct, or of her ability to support and care for the children. A great deal of research has established high correlation's between fatherless families and child poverty, family violence, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, school failure, and juvenile crime.

The ideal of maternal-preference originates from the period when two parent families were the norm. Marriage and children are great civilisers and motivators for men. Women benefit from the man's pay check and from the male qualities he instils in the children. In two parent families the children are mostly cared for by the mother, but this is becoming less common. By contrast a mother-headed family is often far from ideal. For example, one of the best predictors of child abuse is the presence in the home of a boyfriend or step-father. Some studies have put the rate of abuse as 77 times greater in lone-mother households with a boyfriend / stepfather compared to families where both biological parents are present.

Family court judges are advised by Court Welfare officers who are supposed to make recommendations 'in the best interest of the child'. These officers often operate without a complaints procedure. Since a welfare report cannot be acknowledged as wrong it can only be right. A report that is by definition right can only be endorsed by the court, which as it happens sit in secret. It is almost impossible for fathers to appeal against bad decisions. Even appeals where there is outrageous justice against fathers are very rarely granted.

There is a widespread misconception that children get over the effects of divorce. This is not the case. There is much evidence that children from broken families are severely disadvantaged [Telegraph 01-Dec-96]. In some children these wounds never heal.

Parental alienation

If a child resides only with one parent and the other parent only has limited visiting rights then a process called parental alienation is possible. This is basically where the children are turned against the other parent. Since children are awarded custody to the mothers in 91% of the cases then the alienation is mostly against fathers.

A mother inducing alienation may say that: the father is always harassing us with phone calls, paying too little maintenance money, always trying to bribe us with gifts and toys, or getting solicitors onto us. Inducing parents may often cut off the extended family as well. Inducing parents often use baby sitters, with excuses like the non-resident parent can't see the children at these times because it is outside routine. The inducing parent would rather the child be with friends or neighbours or playing outside unsupervised than with the non-resident parent. An inducing parent will not forward school reports, school photographs or want the non-resident parent to go to school concerts etc. Inducing parents often wont co-operate in joint interviews or mediation and they are often blinded by rage and don't appreciate the emotional damage they are doing to their children. They are often convincing and are master manipulators.

Mother-Headed households

Lone mother households tend to be concentrated in inner city areas. The first male role model that a young boy growing up in such a household may encounter are the street gangs roaming the neighbourhood. By associating with such individuals and without adequate controls at home, a young man can gradually be drawn into a life of crime. Mother headed households tend to produce the majority of our criminals, and of our drug users. This is one of the principle reasons for the surge in crime rate both here in the UK and in the US. The rising crime rate has tracked the increase in the number of fatherless families. Many studies have found that that the presence of the biological father is a powerful protector against delinquency.

Children who grow up without their biological father do less well at school. The issue here is one of status and total control since the children are the automatic passport to benefits. Mother-custody is often a misnomer since the children are very often left with a childminder or with relatives. This is often the case even when the biological father is available and willing to care for the children.

Click here to get information, or join us to achieve some of these demands :

• Campaign for open family courts.
• Fair deals for men in divorce settlements.
• Presumption of joint physical custody.