53 responses to “Open Letter to Attorney General Marshall – Cry for Child Support Ease”

1. 

   Hal Austin

   May 4, 2020 at 4:27 am

   
   

   The death of court reporting. Whatever happened to shorthand? It is important to note that in England and Wales, a contemporaneous report of a court hearing, ie shorthand, is accepted as evidence, whereas a tape recording is not. It will be interesting to see how this is played out in Barbados.
   It is but a short step from an audio recording to introducing television cameras in the courts, so trials will become daytime entertainment. Why not go the full hog and hang people on camera for ratings? We are dumbing down at every level.

   A proposal to allow journalists to record court hearings is under consideration following a submission from Barbados Association of Journalists and Media Workers (BARJAM) to Attorney General Dale Marshall.
   That was one of the initiatives the group announced on May 3, World Press Freedom Day. It said following the request for reporters to do audio recordings of proceedings in court, it was informed that the matter was forwarded to the Registrar of the Supreme Court for discussion with the judiciary.
   “We look forward to a favourable outcome,” said president Emmanuel Joseph. His comments were contained in a press release to mark World Press Freedom Day in which he also saluted the “hard-working and productive members of the reputable media fraternity in Barbados”.
   “I say to all media personnel, especially the front-line reporters and photographers and their media houses, stand up and take a bow for weathering the COVID-19 storm which is still raging, to keep this country abreast of developments surrounding this devastating virus. Your day will come for reward in this generally thankless profession,” Joseph said.
   He stated that while the COVID-19 virus has blocked a number of plans and programmes by BARJAM, including this month’s media awards, there was progress on others. The association made successful representation to the leadership of a key organisation which had on two occasions in February and March, turned away media workers after notices had been sent to the media houses.
   “Based on the proposals outlined in the entity’s response letter to us, following what they described as a series of miscommunications, and once they act on their measures, the conflict between media professionals and the organisation is unlikely to happen again.
   “I can also state that a window of hope has been opened for the news media and the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) to work more closely together in a mutual and respectful partnership of information flow. I cannot say anything more specific at this time, except that I represented BARJAM earlier this year where I was invited to address an interactive session for security operations personnel of the BDF during a one-week training workshop in which media relations was a key component,” Joseph stated.
   Still at the top of BARJAM’s agenda is the establishment of a Benevolent Fund to assist members who fall on hard times and the need for Government to introduce that long-mooted Freedom of Information Bill into Parliament.
   The media body was recently admitted to sit on the UNDP’s Global Environmental Facility Small Grants Programme National Steering Committee for Barbados. The programme offers financial and technical support to civil society organisations for community-driven projects that contribute to conserving global biodiversity, adapting and mitigating global climate change, protecting international waters and preventing land degradation. (Quote)

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2. 

   TheOGazerts

   May 4, 2020 at 7:00 am

   
   

   “In case anyone is unaware, the CARES funds specifically stated that fathers with any amount in arrears will not receive their funds. My state also pays unemployment straight to the child support program instead of the person filing in the case of arrears.”

   Not getting your point. Are you saying the state should ignore the child and give money to the deadbeat Mom/Dad?

   Note that it is a question.

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3. 

   Hal Austin

   February 11, 2021 at 9:04 am

   
   

   On his last appearance on the CoVid communications task force, the attorney general was asked what appeared to be an interesting question, which went largely unanswered.
   He was asked if someone had a visitation order from the family court which the CoVid Emergency regulations were in danger of hindering, which one should the person obey.
   With a grin on his face, the attorney general meandered around the authority of the courts and mumbled something about obeying the court order.
   In a society with 70 per cent of children born out of wedlock, this question goes right to the heart of the social crisis in Barbados.
   Was he right?

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