Public committee to abolish automatic maternal custody of children under 6 - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Fri., September 28, 2007 ,

Israel Time: 11:34 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Print Edition

Diplomacy

Defense

Arts & Leisure

Real Estate

Jewish World

National

Advertising

Magazine

Week's End

Business

Opinion

Rosner's Domain

Anglo File

Books

Travel

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Last update - 01:17 20/09/2007

Public committee to abolish automatic maternal custody of children under 6

By Ruth Sinai, Haaretz Correspondent

Divorced mothers are no longer to receive automatic custody on children under the age of 6, a public committee plans to recommend in the coming months to the Justice Ministry.

Should the recommendations of the committee appointed by former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni be accepted, they could lead the way to the annulment of the current law, which has remained unchanged for the past 45 years.

The committee, headed by Professor Dan Schnit, former Head of the School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University, proposes to replace the current clause of the custody law. Under the new clause, both parents will automatically receive joint custody of children under the age of 6.

	Advertisement

The recommendations were scheduled to be submitted this fall, but the committee is falling behind schedule because of internal disagreement between members, according to an official who is involved in the committee's work.

The official nonetheless said he believed the committee will recommend to change the current letter of the law. The official told Haaretz that the committee will hand in its findings and recommendation by the end of the year.

"There is not a single country in the Western World that still adheres to the clause affording mothers automatic custody," the official said. "The clause stems from the antiquated and classical family model where the mother takes care of the children, while the father goes off to work."

Some professionals whose work pertains to the committee believe that even if the recommendations of the committee are adopted, the courts would still be inclined to rule in favor of mothers, and award them more custody.

Na'amat women's organization, which is represented in the committee on reforming Israel's custody law, is opposed to changing the law.

"The law won't make more fathers suddenly take more responsibility over their children," says Attorney Talya Livni, the organization's chairwoman. "This sort of change will require a gradual social shift. The revision of the law would, however, expose women to more extortion from men, who might threaten to file for custody unless their ex-wives
agree to make material concessions."

Presiding in the committee are experts and professional from many area, including Justice Ministry personnel, high-ranking officials in social services, religious experts academics, women's rights activists and parent organizations.

Those in favor of shifting to a joint-custody framework, however, think that offering divorced fathers more automatic custody could serve to encourage more fathers to assume a more active parenting role. They also hope the partnership between parents could serve to reduce the potential for conflicts within the family.

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Summer in Paradise
	The Greek islands show us how much better and easier life could have looked here.


	Supernatural options
	A student studied share prices charts and found evidence of - supernatural powers?




1.	Automatic joint custody	05:40	\|	steve	20/09/07

2.	custody	06:21	\|	Doreen	20/09/07

3.	abolish automatic maternal custody of children	11:22	\|	Eric	28/09/07

Today Online


	Hamas says will retaliate for IDF killings in Gaza
	Responses: 66


	Opinion: Barghouti's release not a magic cure for Fatah
	Responses: 5


	Russian Neo-Nazis follow tactics of Al-Qaeda
	Responses: 1


	Haggling at the synagogue: Kol Nidre for $100,000 and other mitzvot
	Send response


	Editorial: Should we come to terms with a nuclear Iran?
	Responses: 3


	Haaretz.com TV: The government is luring citizens back to Israel
	Responses: 94

Rosner's Domain

* Wisse: Israeli self-blame for what the Arabs have done to themselves

* WTR: The pros and cons of the War on Terror

* Ahmadinejad and the city

* Rosner's Mailbox: Serving interfaith couples

More Headlines
11:06 Hamas warns of harsh response to IDF killings


10:22 ANALYSIS: Palestinians face an emerging paradox in Gaza


10:16 Russia says new sanctions on Iran must await IAEA probe


07:24 IAF dispatches jets in response to Syrian helicopter activity


06:19 Livni, Syrian Foreign Minister both deny newspaper report they met


07:18 Hillary Clinton says she supports 'apparent' IAF action in Syria


07:27 Former chief Ashkenazi rabbi Abraham Shapira dies at 96


03:22 Declassified documents show Arafat told not to declare independence


03:05 New 'morality police' detain Ramadan fast-breakers in W. Bank


05:19 Dismissed volunteer Civil Guards sue Israel Police for ageism