Expert: Ralph Salier - 10/26/2009

Question
QUESTION: He got women pregnant in a one night stand and has a little girl.  The child lives with her mother but says that she says that she has the best daddy in the world because he spends allot of time with him every weak and loves her very much and is very good with children.  Both parent never went to court.

ANSWER: The woman in this case may have a good relationship with the father.  However, he may be a married man, may not really be able to be a good husband to the child's mother etc... If he spends time with her and acts as a father figure then this may be the best the child can get.  It may actually be the better situation.  Going to court is not required to acknowledge parenthood.

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QUESTION: Is it fair that the legal system in Belgium expect mothers to do this?  I mean very coparanting with the father even in this case.  There is a general rule that say that a good father can never be made to pay child support if he is willling to take 50/50 custody, but can be ordered to pay child support if he does not take 50/50 custody or is a unfit father or a danger to the child.

Answer
Legal systems are rarely fair.  Even our own system still has problems with fairness to women, people of color etc...  Belgium is a Catholic country and many of its laws place the male above the female in terms of rights with few responsibilities.  From our point of view (US) this is not fair but it is in the nature of the legal systems and to a degree Belgian culture.