Children will have their say in court

Children will have their say in court

SINGAPORE (DPA): Children caught in bitter divorce and custody
battles in Singapore will have a legal say over which parent they
want to live with in a landmark program starting in July, a
published report said Saturday.

Court appointed lawyers will interview the youngsters and
write a report reflecting the child's wishes if other efforts to
settle the custody question out of court fail.

The report will then be admitted as evidence in a first in
divorce cases in the city-state.

"The underlying aim is to give the child a voice -- a voice
that can be lost in the fight between their parents," Daphne
Hong, deputy registrar of the court's family division, was quoted
as saying in the Straits Times.

Hong, a district judge, told the newspaper she receives
letters from children of divorcing parents saying, "Please don't
tell mummy or daddy".

The children in the new scheme would be eight and above,
regarded at that age as able to form their own views. The
lawyers, acting as friends of the court, will work on a volunteer
basis, paid only a small fee.

Twenty lawyers have volunteered their services.

Hong noted many parents involved in high-conflict cases use
police posts as pick-up and drop-off points for their children to
ensure the other parent is prevented from lodging false reports
accusing them of mistreating the child.

As an alternative, she said "contact centers" are in the
pipeline for parents to meet children to minimize risks of false
charges.