Women complaining of being owed thousands of $$ in child support- Premier
The issue was brought to the fore during a panel discussion titled ‘Let’s Chew on the Issue’ which was live- streamed on the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Facebook page on April 6, 2023.
‘Single mothers not getting requisite support’- L. Allen Wheatley
During the discussion, former Financial Secretary and current VIP Eighth District Candidate L. Allen Wheatley highlighted challenges presently being faced by single mothers in relation to child support and the court system.
He said he was made aware of instances where these women find themselves in situations where they have issues receiving child support and there is limited enforcement when their rights are violated.
“A lot of women have actually had other women come to me and relate that single mothers are not getting the requisite support,” he said.
The Premier who was also part of the panel discussion was then asked by moderator Zoe J. Walcott if the government was willing to have a garnishment of wages system in place where funds are taken directly from the payee and why it has not yet advanced to that level, to which he responded that this is already a part of the legislation.
Hon Penn has failed single mothers?
“The Ministry of Health and Social Development and the Magistrate’s Court, they’ve suggested some amendments to the Child Maintenance Act. For whatever reason, the present Minister hasn’t brought those Amendments forward, but those Amendments are supposed to be amendments to try to make the process a bit more efficient and more effective…
“Once the Act came before us, I thought we had the opportunity to be able to examine the issue clearly, [to] be able to speak to some of the witnesses in committee stage, which would be the court manager for the Magistrate’s Court and see really what the challenge is…,” the Premier related.
He too noted that many women have been relating to him that their child support payments, which in some cases have amounted to thousands of dollars, are backed-up for months.
The Premier said he was even informed that the system of payment was more efficient when the perpetrators withholding the payments were “picked up.”
“Now I’m not advocating for anybody to get locked up in the jail but if you have children you have to be able to support your children,” Premier Wheatley said.
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45 Responses to “Women complaining of being owed thousands of $$ in child support- Premier”
A man who do not take care of a child should be ashamed of themselves try stand up be top ranking
Broke @$% ghetto women sitting on the block all day getting children for those broken a@$% ghetto dudes who are also sitting on the block all day. And expect the system to force the broke @$% dude to pay child support while he himself is still living at home with either his mother or grandmother who is just as stupid to be feeding him, his girl and his children? Dshe got one child and the man buss off, then she going to get 3 more for the same man and expect him to pay up..
Birth control is available for the before, during and the after sex.
The plight and the future of us as a people ,is largely in the loins of Black women. Children are not a must have even if sex is so ...