My Son’s Rights and Child Support in Cuba
Mercedes González Amade
HAVANA TIMES — Some time ago, I wrote about how soft Cuban legislation is when it comes to child support payments by divorced parents. I mentioned the example of Carlito’s father, who has turned his back on his obligations, and my efforts to revert this situation.
Several eighbors, friends and relatives have advised me not to continue down that road, that I am only hurting my child.
Sometimes, I wonder if they’re serious. How could I harm my son teaching him to fight for his rights within the law? It’s true he doesn’t have a good opinion of his dad, but that’s not my fault. I am not the one who’s abandoned him.
His father is required to pay a very small sum of money, barely enough for my son’s public transportation needs. Despite this, he still refuses to make the monthly payments and leaves me solely responsible for buying food, clothing, footwear and even medication.
My constant demands have become a burden, the situation is exhausting, and I feel he is mocking me and the law. He has been summoned to court every 15 days in the course of nearly a year, and I have also. I always show up alone and the hearing is cancelled, and so on and so forth. Time continues to pass and my son still doesn’t get his pension. Also, no measures are taken to enforce the law.
If we sat down to wait for this money, Carlitos would starve, go barefoot or get sick all the time.
However, many people believe what I’m doing is wrong. They feel I am setting him against his father and that I should raise him in such a way that he will love him.
The way I see it, I think it’s best to continue insisting on my rights until they get tired of seeing my face. One has to look for a real solution. He has to pay everything he owes, he is obliged to support his child, a teenager who is studying, practicing sports and aspires to continue learning to become something in life.
Nope. I go to work everyday. I have been in Abad spot before. I know that I must keep working.
A woman should not get the child just because she is a woman either. This system is one sided.
Ha! Blame the woman of course. Whatever the reason of why they are not together is not the fault of the child. A father should be responsible to his child and the responsibility should not be solely placed on the woman. This type of mentality truly baffles me but what can you expect from a country of barbarians.
I am sure that the disabled mother who wrote of the problems she has experienced is appreciative of your very belated sympathy for her plight “The War At Home”.
Have you ever seen the rations to which you refer? Have you calculated the calorific value of those rations and how many days food they supply at 1800 calories per day?
Are you aware that although the permuta supposedly supplies chicken and fish, that it usually fails to do so? I can tell you that when chicken does appear, the ration for two is half a chicken leg.
Are you aware that the rations cost almost exactly the old age pension?
Obviously you hated your mother! Was she too disabled?
ever actually try living on a ration card?
You claim that your son doesn’t have necessary food or medicine because you don’t get child support?! Nonsense! The Cuban government provides every citizens with universal access to medical care, and food rations!!! Your disgusting capitalist attitude of greed and entitlementis the same as many American women, and is the reason so many American men are refusing to marry or have children. Which is contributing to our demographic crisis!
You should thank your Cuban compañeros for calling you out on your poisonous capitalist attitude. Obviously acquired due to the large influx of North American and European sex tourists into Havana. These losers are accustomed to giving women large sums of money for companionship. If left unchecked these perverse ideals spread to the local Cuban populace. As is evident with you!
If your husband is such a deadbeat, then why did you choose to marry him; and have a baby with him? You claim he “abandoned” you. Men don’t leave their wife and children for no reason! What did you do to drive him away?!
You claim that your son doesn’t have necessary food or medicine because you don’t get child support?! Bullshit! The Cuban government provides every citizens with universal access to medical care, and food rations!!! Your disgusting capitalist attitude of greed and entitlement is the same as many American women, and is the reason so many American men are refusing to marry or have children. Which is contributing to our demographic crisis!
You should thank your Cuban compañeros for calling you out on your poisonous capitalist attitude. Obviously acquired due to the large influx of North American and European sex tourists into Havana. These losers are accustomed to giving women large sums of money for companionship. If left unchecked these perverse ideals spread to the local Cuban populace. As is evident with you!
If your husband is such a deadbeat, then why did you choose to marry him; and have a baby with him? You claim he “abandoned” you. Men don’t leave their wife and children for no reason! What did you do to drive him away?!
Keep going! You’re absolutely right. Never give up on that.
The father has abandoned his own son. He has also abandoned his responsibilities to you both. The father is doing a good job of setting himself against his child. keep going