Child Support, Poverty and Gender Equality in the Caribbean

The IDRC-funded research on child support, law and social policy undertaken by UNIFEM, the Faculty of Law at the University of the West Indies and Grenada Legal Aid and Counselling Clinic has highlighted the extent to which child care is a feminized responsibility in the Caribbean.

Despite improvements in the justice sector, including the Family Court Pilot of Trinidad and Tobago, there is consistent dissatisfaction with:

-Inefficient administration leading to delays (over-burdened courts, service of documents in particular)
- Low levels of awards
- Significant non-compliance with court orders
- Limited avenues for enforcement of court awards

In addition, the research elicited how anger, resentment and distrust based on gender stereotypes characterise relations between many women and men who use the court system.

Social protection systems only partially address the needs for resource support by low income families, particularly those headed by single mothers. One of the very contested issues is the requirement that women use the court system as a pre-condition for qualification for public assistance.

A High Level Meeting on 18 April in Barbados to discuss the research findings recommended a range of policy reforms:

1. A study on social protection systems outlining options and costs, including allocation from social security, and consideration of experience of other countries.

2. Ministerial meeting of the social development sector with the following key objectives:

- To sensitise on the inter-relatedness of the administration of family justice and social protection

- To build political will for national and regional reform

3. Establishment of a Regional Council on Family Law Reform for harmonisation approaches (regional issues).

4. Research and information needed on the linkages between the deficits in resolution of child support issues (legal, social, inter-personal), youth alienation and poverty.

5. Development of a social communications strategy on shared family responsibilities and the role of fathers.

6. Preparation of a model child support law based on recent legal developments in Jamaica and Antigua and Barbuda as well as the OECS Family Law Reform Project.

9. Review of and/or development of mediation training modules related to child support disputes.

Click here to download - Barbados Country Report - SUMMARY

Click here to download - Policy Considerations for Reform

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Gender-Responsive Social Protection Model
Guided by the results from the project Child Support, Poverty and Gender Equality, UNIFEM, in collaboration with The University of the West Indies and the Grenada Legal Aid and Councelling clinic, with support from IDRC and UNICEF, and in partnership with national stakeholders, is currently in the process of developing a gender-responsive social protection model applicable in Barbados and T&T as well as a generic version for the region; and provide technical assistance to 2 countries for the development of alternative approaches to social protection with emphasis on support to low income single mothers

EC/UN Partnership on Gender Equality for Development and Peace
In Suriname, under the project EC/UN Partnership on Gender Equality for Development and Peace, UNIFEM is supporting the Government of Surinam in the development of capacity & partnership development plans in the effort to mainstream Gender Equality in aid effectiveness.

Gender and the CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
UNIFEM in collaboration with UNECLAC is undertaking a study on the gendered effects of the current EPA between the EU and CARIFORUM. Research has shown that trade policies have differential impacts on women and men which are linked to the social and economic aspects of their livelihoods. Research is therefore required to assess the scope of the CARIFORUM EPA and its developmental implications with respect to the effects that implementation of the agreement might have on gender inequalities in the region. The study was discussed at a UNIFEM/ECLAC meeting in July at which Jason Jackson gave a presentation outlining the approach of the study. The study is scheduled for completion in September 2008.

Gender and the CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)