19 February 2009
The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development says
Fathers for Justice (F4J) is not telling the truth about its relationship with
officials of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
Committee chairperson Mr Yunus Carrim, MP, said the F4J organisation was
circulating a pamphlet containing untruths about its relationship with the
department.
The F4J pamphlet claimed that the Departments of Justice and Constitutional
Development had not produced any information leaflet informing fathers about
their rights. "Numerous written reports and representations have fallen on deaf
ears," F4J claimed in the pamphlet.
Meetings often cancelled
Fathers for Justice special representative, Mike O'Callaghan said his
organisation had been trying to get co-operation from the Department of
Justice's Family Advocates without success. "We have had five meeting
cancellations in the past six months," Mr O'Callaghan said.
Mr Carrim, MP, noted that some of the problems the organisation had with
this department referred to an Act (the Children's Act of 2005) which was
implemented by the Department of Social Development (DSD).
The F4J's concerns include the adversarial nature of family law, the
prohibitive costs of litigation, the failure to make mediation mandatory as
well as the prevalence of general bias and lack of consistency and
standardisation in the Office of the Family Advocate.
Clear the air
Director for Child Justice and Family Law, Advocate Shereen Said, said one
of the differences that the department had with F4J was in relation to
endorsing a pamphlet the organisation produced and was circulating. "The
department does not endorse publications of non-governmental organisations
(NGOs). Furthermore, the department would not promote or favour sectors or
constituencies as it must adhere to the Constitutional principle of equality."
One particular pamphlet contained information that was offensive to the
department, she said.
Mr O'Callaghan conceded that some of the information contained in the
pamphlet referred to the situation before October last year. "This situation
has since improved and we will be meeting with the family advocate in two weeks
time," he said.
Ms Carol Johnson, MP, said the meeting would hopefully improve the relations
between the organisation and the Department of Justice and Constitutional
Development.
Issued by: Parliament of South Africa
19 February 2009
Source: Parliament of South Africa (http://www.parliament.gov.za)
