"Violent" father gets supervised visitation, suspended sentence (Malta)

UNNAMED DAD, a violent alcoholic who kept his sons out of school, is getting a break from the Maltese courts because he wasn't a bad guy, see. He was just trying to bring up his sons as "strong men" (i.e. as future batterers and abusers just like their father). What kind of crap is this? It's just another way that child abuse by fathers is denied and minimized.

So all Dad gets is a suspended sentence and supervised visitation. And where is the mother of these children? Is there one? Sure doesn't sound like it.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=116349

Court: Suspended sentence for violent father of three

A father, who was violent against his three sons and who is a former alcoholic, was given a one-year jail term suspended to three years

The 48-year old father was accused of causing slight injuries on his children, used violence to force his children do something and behaving in a way that instilled fear in his sons.

It transpired that the father was very strict with his children and that in the summer months, he took them with him to work on a construction site in breach of their right to education and free time.

The court, presided by Magistrate Antonio Vella, considered the father’s early guilty plea but also understood the local reality of Maltese parents who think that exercising strict discipline is positive for their children.

He highlighted that each child should be respected as a person and that persons shouldn’t use force and physical abuse to discipline their children.

Although excessive violence should be condemned, the court decided that the father had not intended to hurt his children but to bring them up as strong men.

The accused, the court said, needs someone to guide him especially since the court understood that he had a drinking problem so he was also assigned a probation officer.

The court also ordered a protection and treatment order to make sure that the siblings are well looked after and so that their father starts addressing his drinking and behaviour problems. The father was allowed supervised access of his sons for two hours a week under Agenzija Appogg’s supervision.

The court’s decision will be revised every six months and changed according to the father’s improvement.