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Should absentee fathers lose travel rights?
Confiscating driving licences and passports from absent fathers
THE ARGUMENTS FOR
People who have children should share the responsibility for bringing them up. Stopping fathers who try to escape this responsibility from travelling abroad or driving is a fair punishment.
With the child support system as it is, two thirds of all absent fathers still get away without paying. The Child Maintainance and Enforcement Agency can take money directly from absent fathers, but can't stop them from hiding the money in undisclosed accounts. It would be much harder for them to hold on to passports and driving licenses.
The state government in Maine, in the US, managed to collect $89m when they threatened to take driving licences away from absent parents.
THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST
To stop people from travelling abroad and from driving infringes their personal liberties and might even contravene the Human Rights Act. The state shouldn't be allowed to take such draconian measures.
To victimise absent fathers in this way may further impair the chances of returning to play an active part in their childrens' lives. ·
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Comments
If it contravenes the Human Rights act, the act is wrong. It is a clear example of the general principle: people are influenced by the threat of severe punishment. If politicians can understand that they will be able to make the world a better place.