Hunger Strike for Shared Parenting

Bill C-22 hostile to divorced fathers in Canada seeking to get custody of their children

These are crucial days for the future of many families; last week the Federal parliament voted on Bill C-22, a proposal amending the Divorce Law. However, many that have already gone through the pain of a separation and the gauntlet of the family courts are opposing in every possible way the new proposal. They are writing letters to the media, e-mailing their Federal representatives, organizing protests. One such person is Kristin Titus, who went on a hunger strike despite her 45 kilograms. Many consider Bill C-22 to be worse than the existing law, since it changes a few words but not the substance, i.e. it does not prescribe shared parenting.
According to several surveys, 80 percent of Canadians agree with the Parliamentary report For the Sake of Children, which said that allowing both parents to see their children even following a divorce was of paramount importance. But nothing changed since 1985. The law is still based on the idea that there are winners and losers, balances of power linked to how long one can stay with one's children and how much one can decide on their behalf.
This theory translates into two words: "custody" and "access." The person who's granted custody is the winner... Almost in every case, the loser is the father, ending up completely defeated at the moral, financial and psychological levels. In the last few years, suicides among men have increased, under the pressure of a malfunctioning judiciary system, uncivilized relations between ex spouses, and a society that keeps silent about these tragedies. This deafening silence continues even in front of the children, who suffer terribly and often lose their fathers forever.
In order to raise the awareness among Canadians about these tragedies, Kristin Titus, mother and stepmother of four children victimized by divorces, went on a hunger strike, but also on a "cold strike." She remained in front of Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, for nine hours, with a temperature of 25 below, risking hypothermia. She only accepted a mug of tea.
"My fingers were frostbit and the cold made me sick. I went home, but I won't eat for as long as Bill C-22 has a chance to pass," she said, amidst coughing fits. "The silent support from the public is extraordinary, but it is silent. I think this is a Canadian habit: it's time to change it. There is no need for everybody to enact desperate gestures like mine. I'm doing this so that the public will learn that even a little homemaker CAN make a difference. We must find out what our Government is up to, BEFORE they act."
Several MPs such as Roger Gallaway, Anne Cools, and Colleen Beaumier, asked the citizens to write their Federal representatives against Bill C-22.
The discussion in Parliament is still going on. Meanwhile, Kristin has received messages of solidarity from many groups advocating in defence of the children and of divorced parents (there are some 50 of these groups in Canada). Of course, many divorced fathers wrote, as did grandparents and even kids.
Last week Kristin had the support of her family and other protestors. After a while, a group of students came for a visit to Parliament Hill, and they immediately grasped the importance of her protest for their own future. "They told me repeatedly that I was doing the right thing, and this is a great result for me," said Kristin.

Publication Date: 2003-03-09
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=2444