The Social Security Department, which hands out government benefits, does not keep data on children registered as having an unknown father, a spokesman said.
Not having a listed father can be psychologically harmful for a child
Such information is only held at the Public Registry, where the baby’s birth is registered. The registry informs the department in paternity acknowledgement cases and the department can then investigate if it suspects benefit fraud.
Over the past 10 years 2,776 babies were registered as having an unknown father, according to the registry. In 1,412 cases the mother was in her 20s. There were 905 babies registered as having unknown fathers to mothers under 19.
Most of the mothers were from Birkirkara, followed by Cospicua, St Paul’s Bay, Qormi and Valletta, figures showed.
Lawyer Veronique Dalli said it was no secret that this past decade witnessed a new trend at the Public Registry: the number of mothers choosing to register their babies with an unknown father, once considered taboo, had increased. Several did this to be able to access social benefits.
Not listing the father means the family’s collective income is only calculated on the mother’s salary, making eligibility for benefits easier.
One recent public example was the case of Roselana – the nine-month-old baby who drowned in a bath in Cospicua on August 31.
It was reported that the child was registered as having an unknown father but her dad spoke in the media about his tragic loss.
Speaking in general, Dr Dalli said when the unknown father lived with the mother and child, two illegal scenarios could emerge: benefit fraud and the false declaration made on the child’s birth certificate.
The father could not be made to pay maintenance to support the child, who would not have access to inheritance, she said.
The child was also stripped of their fundamental human right to family and denied the right to truly know their identity, origins and family ties.
Social worker Colette Farrugia Bennett said there were various reasons why mothers opted not to register the father.
Some did not know who the father was, others wanted to benefit financially and others felt it was safer not to.
This happened, for example, in cases when the father was deemed dangerous and the mother did not want him to have legal rights over the child, said Ms Farrugia Bennett, chairwoman of the Social Workers’ Association.
“Not having a listed father can be psychologically harmful for a child.
“It infringes on their understanding of themselves and their sense of identity. Apart from that there is the social stigma,” she said.
Standard forms, such as the one to apply for a passport, ask for the father’s details. Even at school, children are asked to make cards for Father’s Day, she said.
After the case of baby Roselana, The Times sent questions to the Justice Ministry spokesman, who represents the Social Security Department. Questions included how many people were registered as having an unknown father.
“The department does not keep any statistical data regarding children with unknown fathers. Declarations of ‘unknown father’ are made when registering the child at the Public Registry,” he said.
Even at the Public Registry the data was not readily available and an IT contractor had to be commissioned to extract the information to reply to the “specific” questions of The Times.
This raises queries over how the department can investigate benefit fraud if it has no clue who is registered as having an unknown father. What action is taken to curb abuse?
“The action that the department can take is when the birth certificate of the child is amended to show the father of the child, or where there is proof that the mother is forming a household with a partner,” the department said.
“In respect of the former reason, where the father becomes known, the department follows up to see that the father is sought to provide maintenance in respect of the children.
“Where the mother is found not to be forming a household on her own… entitlement to social assistance is reviewed in full taking into consideration the income of the partner.”
The spokesman said that the Benefit Fraud and Investigation Directorate investigated reports of benefit abuse made by the public and the Social Security Department. In serious cases, police were involved.