Rights For Fathers Are Critical Child's Mental Health
With our present day society so prone to divorce, 50% of all marriages in the US end in divorce, it is easy to forget how important rights for fathers are. It is very easy for Mothers who are awarded custody to assume that, since they don't want any interaction with their ex, that the need for father visitation rights is not important for their child. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Below are some statistics that will hopefully help custodial Mothers realize that it is extremely important for children to remain an active part of their Father's life.
63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (US Dept. Of Health/Census) – 5 times the average.
90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes – 32 times the average.
85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average. (Center for Disease Control)
80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes --14 times the average. (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (National Principals Association Report)
75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes – 10 times the average. (Rainbows for All God’s Children)
70% of youths in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes – 9 times the average. (U.S. Dept. of Justice, Sept. 1988)
85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes – 20 times the average. (Fulton Co. Georgia, Texas Dept. of Correction)
Visitation interference is a problem nationwide that affects 6 approximately 6 million children. 40% of custodial Mothers admit to denying visitation rights in an effort to punish their ex and 50% of non custodial Fathers report that their visitation has been interfered with by the custodial Mother. While the degree of interference varies it can escalate into violence and law violations. In addition to harming the child by denying the Father's visitation the situation may escalate to the social problem of Divorce Related Malicious Mother Syndrome.
Based on the above statistics Fathers need to realize the important role they have in their children's development. Fathers need to fight for their custody rights at the beginning of the divorce proceeding. If full custody is not possible, joint custody should be a must. If a non custodial Father's court ordered visitation is interfered with, learn the proper steps to document the interference and take legal action. This act of denying visitation, if approached properly, can lead to a change of custody in favor of the non custodial Father.
Fathers need to assert their rights and stay an active part of their children's lives if the tragic statistics presented above are ever going to change.
Visit Dads Can Win! website to earn more about rights for fatherswho want to win custody. Get child custody forms, legal cases that support full custody for fathers, and proven strategies to win!
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