A representative of Maldives' Family Court said that the court supports leaving the child support amount to be decided by judges based on the father's income and situation rather than have an amount dictated by a regulation.
This comment was made regarding the letter submitted by North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu), who requested parliamentary discussion on child support granted by court.
According to Ibrahim, the amount allocated by government regulations is too small.
- One child: MVR 2,000 (USD 130) per month at minimum
- More than one child: MVR 1,000 (USD 65) per month per child at minimum
In his letter, Ibrahim highlighted that given soaring inflation levels, MVR 2,000 per child is too little.
Most members of the Regulation Review Committee supported increasing the child support amounts. Members also met with relevant agencies and offices regarding the matter.
During the committee meeting, Family Court's legal officer Ahmed Mausoom pointed out that other payments are also sought from fathers in addition to the monthly child support amount. He detailed that these include medical expenses, food and clothing which can be claimed separately by suing the parent.
He went onto say that large sums are claimed from fathers even now and highlighted that one father was ordered to pay MVR 16,000 per month in total for child support. According to Mausoom, the complaint when it comes to claiming these additional payments stem from having to claim it via court separately.
According to Mausoom, the amount allocated as child support in existing regulations is not insufficient. He went on to say that it may also not be the most fair decision to hike up the amount.
Mausoom highlighted cases where fathers struggled financially after paying child support and an example of an instance where some fathers' second marriage ended because his child support payments from a previous marriage were so high that he couldn’t afford to support his child from the later marriage.
Based on these observations, Mausoom said it would be best to let judges decide on child support amounts based on the father's income and capability. This would allow judges to determine child support amounts fairly based on the child's situation, their lifestyle as well, he said.
The Family Court said the current proposed child support amount of MVR 4,000 may not be the fairest decision.
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