A-Infos (en) Italy, FAI, Umanita Nova #22-25 - In the Name of the Father. Bill 832 "Separated Fathers" (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

It's summer and it's hot: the perfect time for decrees to be approved, 
amidst general indifference in Parliament, that might otherwise face 
strong opposition. This would certainly not be a new development. Amidst 
general indifference due to the commitment to mobilizing against war and 
the violence that increasingly surrounds us and in which we are actively 
engaged, Bill 832, also known as the "Separated Fathers" Decree, has 
been introduced in the Senate. This bill, also known as the "Separated 
Fathers" Decree, a name that already specifies the beneficiaries, could 
be approved amid the same general indifference.

This bill revisits the infamous Pillon Decree in an even more shameful 
manner, if possible, by proposing amendments to the Civil Code and the 
Criminal Code regarding shared custody of children in the event of 
separation. Bill 832 was proposed by 14 senators from the Italian 
Democratic Party (FDI) and Noi Moderati (We Moderates) and has been 
under consideration by the Senate Justice Committee since March 27. It 
was submitted to the "drafting" stage, allowing for a fast and secure 
passage through Parliament, without even the possibility of amendments. 
Its purpose, like the Pillon bill a few years ago, is to make separation 
and divorce-statistically requested predominantly by women-an obstacle 
course, thus ensuring the preservation of the traditional family. By 
clearly penalizing women, the bill favors the economically stronger 
party, generally the male, who for some time, including through very 
powerful associations, has been demanding lower maintenance costs and a 
substantial overhaul of the automatic assignment of housing to women.

The underlying concept of Bill 832 is that of parental equality or 
perfect joint parenting. Put this way, it might seem positive, but in 
reality, it is a very insidious concept, which tends to create false 
symmetry where none exists, because we live in a sexist and patriarchal 
society where roles are unequal. Equal parenting is only relevant when 
separation occurs and becomes an exercise of power, domination, and 
possession; before that, it doesn't matter. In fact, when families are 
"sustained," equality is dysfunctional, because the traditional family 
must be based on inequality and hierarchy.

Let's look at the key points of the "separated fathers" bill.

First, it eliminates the obligation to pay child support based on 
financial means, legally establishing child support at 50/50 without 
considering any differences in economic circumstances between the two 
parents. Yet ISTAT and INPS statistics highlight how mothers are more 
economically vulnerable than fathers. A very high percentage of women 
have precarious jobs and therefore an unstable income, just as many 
women leave their jobs when a child is born, either because they lose 
their job, given the limited protections offered by precarious jobs, or 
because they must assume a caregiving role in the absence of adequate 
social support services.

Bill 832, again in the name of parental equality, introduces the 
requirement for children of separated parents to have a dual domicile, 
cleverly eliminating the assignment of the family home, guaranteeing the 
owner full use of the property and eliminating the child's right to 
stable, continuous residence in the home where he or she grew up. The 
rapacious greed underlying this provision is not even measured against 
the many real-life situations in which, for example, separated parents 
live in different cities, which can happen with a separation, given that 
family, living, and work situations change.

But the rigidity of the law, based solely on the Solomonic principle of 
equal division, is designed to enable specific adjustments to be made 
through specialized external professionals. Bill 832, in fact, imposes 
the requirement for family mediation through a mediator. This is 
superfluous in cases of consensual and non-confrontational separations, 
and atrocious in cases of non-mediatable conflicts, such as those caused 
by violence-an unfortunately very common reason for separations. A woman 
who seeks to separate herself and her children from domestic violence 
through separation would be forced into mediation, which would 
constitute secondary violence.

But it doesn't end there. Among the more subtle provisions of Bill 832 
is the introduction of the obligation to pay childbirth expenses by 
fathers, even those who are unmarried or not cohabiting, even if their 
relationship ended during pregnancy. What may seem like economic 
empowerment is actually extremely dangerous, because it legally 
recognizes the male figure as a father even before birth. A father 
recognized as such before the child's birth and bound by obligations can 
also claim rights over the unborn child, can claim a legally relevant 
interest in the pregnancy, and, for example, can interfere with the 
decisions of a woman who decides to terminate the pregnancy. If we 
consider these scenarios, it becomes clear how intertwined the campaigns 
for "shared parenting" and those for the "protection of unborn life" 
are, which resonate ominously in our ears.

We have listed just a few of the salient points of this bill, a measure 
that seeks to increase male power, penalizing women and discouraging 
them from initiating separation proceedings in which child support is 
not even guaranteed, blaming them for not mediating unsustainable 
situations, and treating children from a perspective of shared 
ownership, ultimately reaffirming the ancient patriarchal order.

We cannot allow this decree to pass unnoticed.

Let's prepare for another fight, let's prepare for a repeat of the 
"victorious" demonstrations against the Pillon decree.

Claudia Scotto

https://umanitanova.org/nel-nome-del-padre-ddl-832-padri-separati/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Subscribe/Unsubscribe https://ainfos.ca/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
Archive: http://ainfos.ca/en