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February 23, 2012
Unmarried fathers to get automatic joint custody over children
Published: 24 Jul 10 12:29 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100724-28717.html
Fathers who are not married to the mothers of their children could soon automatically have equal rights over their children, with Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger preparing to change the law in their favour.
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger has told officials to draw up a draft to make the change, and intends to start it on the way to becoming law this autumn.
“Children should have the right that their fathers taken on responsibility and make joint-decisions over important things in their lives,” Stephan Thomae, family rights expert from Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger’s Free Democratic Party.
He said unmarried parents would share custody unless the mother – or presumably, the father - convinces a court to grant her sole custody over the child.
The Christian Democratic Union would seem to be in favour of the proposal, according to Ute Granold, who speaks on family matters for the parliamentary CDU.
“Living together should not be a prerequisite for joint custody,” she said.
AFP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)
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Your comments about this article:
@kafi-giessen: From where come you? :-DDD
@royp: Very good comments... I think the key part here is "If people are mature"! It proves a high level of maturity, if an ex-couple is able to behave like the example you told us - and the same applies for divorced couples, by the way, with even older children... Sadly and too often there is bitterness involved, which doesn't exactly help the children.
That would solve one problem, but fails to address others: Why should the noncustodial father be obligated to pay child support when the noncustodial mother is not? How can the noncustodial father be sure that the support money he must pay actually goes to support the child? If the mother is deemed the sole physical custodian, what are the father's legal rights as to his child's upbringing, and what are his rights of visitation with his child? The courts have never adequately addressed these important issues, and they must.
GLOBAL **Equal Parenting** will take the Fight, Profit, and other Anti-Family agenda from Law and Social Policy.
Go HARD my German Friends - Keep us up to date - Join some groups on my website below
Onward - Together in CHRIST, and in Coalition with ALL who value the **Whole Natural Biological FAMILY** as Created by God - Equal Parenting @ Ration Shed - Jim - www.rationshed.wordpress.com
This is a good new, I have been waiting for it for quite almost 3 years now. I'm an unmarried father and my son lives with his mother in Germany. What I could I achieve so far on legal base is to legitimise as my son.
No need to tell how do I feel about the situation because I'm sure that the author of article and who ever is reading this comment is somehow got involved or at least have solidarity to unmarried fathers.
non European unmarried father have got much more serious problem. because what if I got the joint custody after very long struggle... what is joint custody if I don't have the right to live where my child lives?
I do have some few questions and I was wondering if anybody can provide me with some answers or information.
I'm an Egyptian, I got a Master degree from German University in 2007. By the Germany law i got the right to apply for one year residency in Germany to look for work there. I didn't apply after I finished my study.
Currently, I'm working in Hungary and studying my PhD in Austria. I'm trying to get the joint custody either ways by court or by an agreement from the mother.
The question is: Do I have the right to reside in Germany if I get the joint custody?
I'm looking for any answers with information that might help.
Here is my email address you may contact me : tamirsoliman@yahoo.co.uk
Best