Force absent fathers to visit their children? A disturbing measure from Macron

Emmanuel Macron would have the solution to guarantee the well-being of children in single-parent families. The head of state wants to implement a measure requiring absent fathers to visit their children until adulthood. This decision emerges in a context in which 85% of single-parent families are cared for by single mothers. In France there are approximately 1.7 million of these families, according to data presented by the Head of State.

“We need a father and a mother”

Raise the question of equality between women and mensaid Emmanuel Macron in an interview broadcast by She this Tuesday May 7th that the parents were supposed to exercise “their responsibilities” has “two”. According to him this visiting duty he must make his fathers understand “ It is a duty to be a parent, and it is a duty that does not end at the time of divorce or separation ».

For Emmanuel Macron, a child who grows up without a father is necessarily so “a child who feels abandoned” AND “whose emotional and educational development is not the same”.

Concretely, the President of the Republic cited the obligation for fathers to invest in the educational path of their children, for example by visiting “at parent-teacher meetings”. The mother must also be able to make demands on the father “regular visits” claimed.

“A broken bond is more dangerous than absence”: the reactions of child protection groups are illuminating

Only here: The president hasn’t said a word on the issue of violent, predatory fathers, whose behavior and presence could be harmful to a child. To the question of the magazine journalist Shewho asked “Are you sure that a father who is present in spite of himself is better than an absent father? »the president responded: “I’m sure we need a father and a mother”.

A gap that feminist and child protection groups have quickly shed a healthy light on. On social networks, the Child Collective, which fights against violence against children, reacted to this proposal, warning:

“A The parent who abandons their children is a failing or even violent parent. A duty towards therapy it would be more effective. We cannot force a man to love his children. A faulty connection is more dangerous than none. Parental constraint against the best interests of the child is no. »

For her part, the feminist activist Léane Alestra, who questions gender representations in her media Non-believers presented this proposal by Emmanuel Macron in the context of a “The stigma against single-parent families has exploded since last June. » Let’s remember that when we talk about single-parent families we are mainly talking about single motherstherefore.

Considering that the proposals of the Head of State are “increasingly reactionary”, Unbeliever underlined the closeness of this speech with the slogan of the event for everyonewho sings “one father, one mother”. Recall that this conservative movement supports the ban on marriage and adoption for same-sex couples. Finally, Emmanuel Macron’s provision goes directly against Ciivise, which in its November 2023 summary proposed:

Provide, in the law, automatic suspension of the exercise of parental authority
and visitation and housing rights of the parent tried for rape or assault
incestuous sex against the son

November 2023 summary, Civiise