Voter blasts deadbeat dads
Published:Thursday | September 4, 2025 | 12:16 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The issue of child maintenance unexpectedly entered the political conversation at a polling station in St James West Central on Wednesday, as voters openly debated the shortcomings of the justice system and called for reforms to protect both mothers and fathers.
Simone Gooden, a mother of two, argued that the Jamaican justice system has been failing many children, whose fathers have been brought before the court for child maintenance.
Gooden, who said frustration eventually pushed her to give up on the system, said she voted for Marlene Malahoo Forte, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate and minister of legal and constitutional affairs.
“I’m not voting for party this morning. I’m voting for progress, for changes to the issues that we are facing as constituents,” Gooden explained.
Responding at the polling station, Malahoo Forte pointed to amendments already made to the Maintenance Act, which now allows for attachment of earnings and extend maintenance orders for children who remain in school after turning 18.
“That was huge progress, because many parents reported that maintenance orders had stopped once their children turned 18 but were still in college,” she said.
“We changed the law in response to those requests, and that change has been working positively.”
Malahoo Forte reasoned that the root of many disputes lies in unresolved relationship issues.
“We have to spend a little more time helping parents understand their roles when they are outside of a relationship. At my back-to-school events, I include parenting seminars, bringing in professional facilitators. One of the main issues we deal with is how to co-parent in the interest of the child,” she said.
Back at the polling station where Gooden stood, the spirited exchange underscored that child maintenance is an important issue for voters.
Richard Balds, a father of two, insisted that fathers must not be overlooked.
“Men deserve to have rights, too,” he said. “These situations do exist in the court, but it is only benefiting mothers. We want to know that fathers have the same opportunity.”
He added that new laws must be more than symbolic. “If it is on the books, make it have some teeth. Make it bite,” he said.