At last the topic of "absent fathers" is starting to get the publicity it needs, both in Parliament and in the media.

FamilyRights is a group of men and women advocating for fair application of fair laws affecting our children. We are very concerned about the effects of the absence of fathers on the lives of children and the effects of paternal deprivation on child development.

The effects of paternal deprivation (voluntary or involuntary) have been a growing area of research over the past few decades in the US. The results, which apply equally to New Zealand, are damning and need to be acted on.

It seems to be generally assumed that fathers voluntarily abrogate their responsibilities after parental separations. It is the view of FamilyRights that this is an incorrect perception by our politicians and public at large. We consider that it has resulted partly from the way our Family Courts operate.

Family Court activity in New Zealand is confidential and there is no outside scrutiny, so generally only the parties involved in a case are aware of what happens.

FamilyRights knows fathers who want to actively parent their children but are, without rational justification, either denied custody or denied extended parenting time beyond the standard "alternate weekends".

Sub-section 23(1)a of the Guardianship Act states that the gender of a parent would not be a determinant in the award of custody. Nevertheless custody is still almost always awarded to the mother in contested cases. In other cases it is the view of FamilyRights that fathers may not pursue custody simply because they are made to believe that they would not succeed.

Custody litigations are sometimes protracted due to the slow turning wheels of justice. They are therefore expensive and stressful, taking a toll on fathers' health and pockets. Once the mothers in these cases are awarded custody, many fathers are left with little or no income after making child support payments and covering the costs of their access or parenting time.

FamilyRights is aware of cases where fathers find it difficult even to meet the cost for parenting time and therefore a reduction in their time with their children results. In some cases fathers simply cannot afford to have their children in their care. The inflexibility of the Child Support Act is a major contributing factor. The outcome for these fathers is that they are technically displaced from their children's lives.

Added to such problems are the ineffectiveness of Family Courts which may not enforce access and are slow to act on non-compliance with other orders. In many cases, fathers feel powerless and/or will not pursue the matter because they believe that further litigation will be detrimental to their children's interests.

Numerous fathers have reported that the Family Courts offer little support in their efforts to actively participate in, and contribute to, the lives of their children.

FamilyRights recognises that some fathers may be irresponsible and not want to actively parent their children. We note the lack of public awareness of the important role fathers play in child development. Government bodies should be putting educational material to these men via media releases and advertising, as well as providing parenting courses in schools.

It is the view of FamilyRights that appropriate information on the role of fathers in child development should be provided to family law practitioners and Family Court Judges, as well as psychologists and counsellors. We commend the Commissioner for Children for his "Fathers Who Care: Partners in Parenting" project, and the Minister of Youth Affairs for her efforts in relation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.