As discussed in a previous post, a group of fathers recently protested in Japan over the country's reluctance to sign the Hague Convention. When countries sign the 1980 treaty, they promise to honor the child custody arrangements of other signers of the treaty and return children to their country of habitual residence if the child is a victim of international parental child abduction. Japan is one country that has not signed the treaty.
Group puts pressure on Japan to sign child custody treaty: Part 1
A group of American and foreign fathers recently protested in Japan over the country's reluctance to sign the Hague Convention, an international treaty that prevents parents from using their home countries as a safe haven in instances of international parental child abduction. The protest was coinciding with a visit to Japan by Vice President Joe Biden. On Tuesday, Biden met with Prime Minister Naoto Kan. According to an article on the protests by Stars and Stripes, it is not known whether Biden took note of the protests.
Child Custody: Parental Alienation
Parental alienation
Divorce - Spying on Your Spouse
Many spouses, ex-spouses, and signficant others attempt to track the activities or whereabouts of the other. The reasons are many: is the spouse or significant other having an affair? Is an ex-spouse cohabiting with another, which may reduce or terminate alimony? Is a spouse consulting a divorce attorney?
Enforcing child support orders within sovereign tribes can be difficult
Securing child support is one thing, but actually recouping that money can be difficult. One difficult situation can be trying to enforce child support orders from the state when the non-custodial parent is the member of a sovereign Native American tribe.
Ruth Madoff reportedly to divorce Bernie
It has been reported this week in the news that Ruth Madoff is looking to divorce her husband of fifty years, Bernie Madoff. The couple is already separated for the rest of their lives, since Bernie is serving a 150-year prison sentence for orchestrating a massive Ponzi scheme that robbed billions of dollars from investors. Now, a Madoff biographer has said that Ruth is planning to officially divorce Bernie so that she can reconcile with her son, Andrew and his family and her grandchildren.
Movies in which divorced parents reconcile may not be healthiest for kids
When parents divorce, children may naturally fantasize about them getting back together. It is healthy for children to eventually accept the divorce, however, and some say that certain Hollywood movies unnecessarily indulge and encourage that fantasy. Recent movies that have come out or are about to come out and are aimed at children show parents in a broken marriage and heading for divorce suddenly turn things around and get back together. (Spoiler alert).
Same-sex couples might consider prenups in case of split
Gay couples hoping to commit to a marriage may want to make a prenuptial agreement before jumping in head first. Homosexual marriage, like heterosexual marriage, is susceptible to divorce. Because of this, it is wise for individuals to put some thought into how to protect their assets in case of a divorce.
Single dads winning child custody more often
More and more households with children are headed by single dads. The percentage of single dads raising children is still small overall, but it is on the rise. Dads are more involved in their kids' lives on average than in the past.
Divorce often occurs in the seventh year of marriage
Statistics show that couples who divorce during a first marriage are most likely to split up during their seventh year together. U.S. census data revealed that the duration of such marriages was a median of eight years, with separation occurring during the seventh year.
