If you are not already aware, Australian is not much different from the U.S. regarding equal access for parents and the Family Court System. In fact, I have blogged about and placed a link in the Resources section to Australian-based Dads in Distress- a support group for divorced fathers in Australian. Dads in Distress spotlights the fact that, on average, 5 males Commit Suicide Per Day!

With that said, according to a story in The Daily Telegraph, an Australian Mother of two has been sentenced to 4 months of jail time for refusing to comply with the visitation schedule ordered by the courts.

I’m not happy that this woman is going to jail, and I wouldn’t call it a victory for dad’s rights. It’s never a victory for the children who will not see their mother for 4 months. I don’t believe sending moms or dads to jail is necessary the right solution. But, I am impressed that Magistrate Michael Jarrett enforced the law fairly, even though it took 6 years and 22 court hearings. He provided every opportunity for her to comply. She refused. Now, she will be spending the next 4 months in jail, and the children’s father was awarded custody. Sadly, one family law expert said that this case was extremely rare because it normally takes flagrant disregard of the court’s orders to reach such an outcome.

The mother claimed that her ex-husband should only be allowed supervised visitation because he has several criminal convictions. The court did not recognize these claims as valid and ordered her to allow visitation. At one point, she took the children and hid for 6 months.