Hands off children’s present and future!

The possible cuts on benefits to single parents comes at a time when there are no laws in place to make both biological parents accountable to supporting the child financially.

Do curtail abuses, but not just in the case of single parents. Fraud and abuse of social benefits go on in various sectors and abuses must be curtailed in all sectors... but Minister Fenech, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

It’s not as if single parents are buying luxury homes, luxury cars and designer clothing with the financial benefits reaped from the government. The amount that the government gives to single parents does not equate to a living wage. I would dread to live in a country which gives such dismal wages when the present cost of living is skyrocketing as it is.

The financial subsidy from the government helps pay for our children’s stationery, helps pay for their school books, helps pay the rent, helps to pay for food, and sometimes, if stretched enough, helps to pay for transport – bus tickets or petrol. All this because the other parent is not supporting the child financially. The financial subsidy given to single parents helps to pay for basic needs. It does not pay for these basic needs in their entirety. If we single parents could not afford these basic necessities, our nation would have more homeless people and we’d be seeing more beggars on our streets. This is the reality we’d be facing with a decrease in financial benefits to single parents.

Many children of single parents who hold a birth certificate which says “father unknown” have such a certificate because the biological father does not acknowledge the child and does not support the child financially. A reduction in single parent benefits will further reduce the child’s financial support throughout their childhood. Many single parents in Malta are mothers. Imagine if all of a sudden mothers stopped acknowledging their children at the same rate fathers do!

This would place a heavy toll on our society. In no way do I mean to generalise and paint a picture of dysfunctional dads all around. It’s that anyone with the correct reproductive system can become a father but taking solid responsibility for one’s actions, a kind heart and a sense of identity is what it takes to be a consistent and loving parent to support the child throughout its childhood years and to register one’s name in the father’s column on the birth certificate.

These values are lacking in many biological fathers who do not acknowledge their children on the birth certificate. I believe that if parenting matters were covered in the educational system there would be less of the term “father unknown” registered on birth certificates. Unfortunately, the topic of parenting is not covered in the early years of the academic syllabus.

In the case of single parents, the other would-be parent is already not pulling his/her weight, neither financially nor in practical terms. Let’s say the child is sick and cannot go to school for a week. The responsible parent must take a week off work, which often means that for that week there is no income because, unlike in the scenario in which there are two adults responsible for a child, with single parents there is no other adult who can continue to go to work that week. This kind of situation has at times resulted in the single parent losing their job or the single parent becoming a less productive employee in the eyes of their boss.

When it comes to single parents we are speaking of a one-income family, very likely with the parent holding part-time employment or an unemployed parent due to lack of holistic support and due to a child’s inherent necessity to be taken care of by an adult. A single parent is a person who no matter the circumstances that brought them into parenthood, has taken on the responsibility of raising their child.

So seriously, Mr Fenech hands off our children’s well-being!