Paternity law review after some fathers excluded

Six months after paid paternity leave kicked off, MPs have been inundated with complaints that the system is failing.

During Tuesday’s House labour committee deputies discussed reports that several fathers have complained they were not eligible and as such, the law must be amended.

According to committee chairman Andreas Fakontis this largely includes cases where couples live together without getting married.

Although the law, which came into effect in August 2017 was positive, it has presented problems during implementation, Fakontis said.

“We received several complaints from fathers not been covered by the specific legislation. We deemed that this must be corrected so as to include these cases so the law can actually have a purpose.”

The law surrounding Guaranteed Minimum Income, children’s allowance and a baby dowry scheme included couples that lived together without legal documentation.

“We have suggested we put safeguards in place so that the mother can confirm the father lives under the same roof (…) or even confirmation from the community councillor.”

The commissioners for children’s rights and equality, as well as the ombudswoman are in agreement with the proposal to make the necessary amendments, Fakontis said.

The committee will convene next week to speed up the process and send the proposal to House plenum, he added.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.