Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I realise there is not much time and I may come back to the subject at a later stage. This is an extremely important debate and some issues that have been raised need a lot of debate. The previous speaker said there was not equality between fathers and mothers. He is dead right and we all know where most of the inequality lies. It lies in the fact that one in five women is a victim of domestic violence. One third of all parents are single parents, 90% of them mothers, and 50% of fathers do not pay any maintenance to those mothers. It is on these matters that we need to legislate.

How do we check if somebody has lived with somebody for 12 months? It seems to be impossible to prove it. Will a mother have the right to revoke guardianship based on the fact that it is automatic? What about those women who are fleeing domestic violence and who may have lived with a violent man for a number of years? I had a woman in my clinic on Monday morning in such a situation.

Custody is very clearly laid out in the law in front of us but a lot of people confuse custody with guardianship. If a man wants to be a man and a father then custody and access are surely the key things he will want and he will be able to prove he is a father in that way. However, the problem with guardianship is that a man who was violent towards his partner would still have the right to dictate where that woman lives because residency is part of guardianship. He can prevent the children getting access to passports to leave the country. There are major repercussions for women in those situations and there are quite a large number of such women.

Violence against women is at epidemic levels around the globe and it is understated in this country. One in four women in Europe is a sufferer and I doubt more women are being abused in Europe than Ireland.

How will the checks of the 12 year residency criteria be carried out? I do not believe in any case that this proves a person is a good father.

12 o’clock

Will the woman have a right to challenge guardianship after the father has claimed automatic right to be a guardian?

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