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THE BRITISH VIRIGN ISLANDS — Fathers in the BVI who are not supporting their children financially will not be allowed to leave the British territory under new child support legislation being introduced by the administration of Premier Andrew Fahie. In essence, if a father has an outstanding child support payment, he will not be allowed to travel outside the BVI until he comes current.
“I do not know why men go and get children and then don’t support them. I have an issue with that. So, one of the legislation that we are going to bring forward within the next second quarter or so of this year, is that they can’t leave the territory ever again until they pay off their Bill," Mr. Fahie told reporters at a media conference earlier this week. The announcement was first reported by BVI News.
The measure is wide-ranging, and will also prevent delinquent fathers from getting government contracts, for example. “Say they have to pay Social Security to get a contract. With the e-government legislation that we are doing, their name will pop up that they owe Inland Revenue or they owe somewhere else, and you are not getting nothing until you pay up that child support and all those other things,” Mr. Fahie explained.
The premier spoke of the repercussions that children suffer when fathers don't support them financially and otherwise, adding that these children oftentimes follow a path of criminal behavior. “We have to understand that when we get children and we don’t support them we are putting them to be a burden on society, and asking a lady to do all of that, to raise the children and to get monies; that is too much and I don’t take that lightly,” Mr. Fahie said.
According to BVI News, Mr. Fahie said Territorial At-Large Representative Neville Smith and Minister for Health & Social Development Carvin Malone have been involved with drafting the legislation.
