Seeking financial support for one’s child should be easy, right? When having a child with another person, whether that individual was a spouse or just a significant other for a time, one expects that person to step up and at least provide something. Achieving a child support order and enforcing it can be challenging for some Georgia residents. It can be even harder if the other parent resides in a different country.
The United States joined a treaty that took effect in Jan. 2017, regarding the recovery of child support from parents who resided out of country. A total of 36 countries have signed this treaty, allowing parents to seek and enforce child support orders with help from local governments. Has this treaty made a difference? Only time will tell.
This may not be an issue that many people find themselves facing, but those who are dealing with family law issues that span international borders certainly will see this as a step in the right direction. For example, a woman who resides in another state has been trying to achieve a child support order for a child she had with a man she met in France. She has been requesting support for six years now and has, at best, received periodic payments of varying amounts. With this law change, she now has a better chance at achieving an actual support order that France will have to enforce.
While people can live and work anywhere in the world, this freedom does not mean they are exempt from providing for their children. While, even with the law change, it can be difficult to seek and enforce a child support order when the other parent resides in another country, it is certainly easier to do now than it was before. Those in Georgia who are dealing with such an issue can turn to a family law attorney who will be able to help them navigate this difficult legal matter.
Source: The Sacramento Bee, “Can California make a French dad pay for his kid? A test case is here“, Stephen Magagnini, April 24, 2018