The internet is an international network of computers, all connected together. These computers are in multinational companies, educational institutions, government offices and private homes. It is estimated that there are 20 million people using the internet with 150,000 new users each month.
The users of these computers comprise engineers, scientists, solicitors, accountants, government employees, psychologists, barristers, from all over the world. In addition to the actual users on the network there is an enormous repository of information.
The internet has many uses, the most widely known being electronic mail (or email). Email works in a similar way to the postal service, except the information is sent electronically. This effectively allows one to send an international message to another person (or group of people) within minutes.
The internet also has discussion groups or newsgroups. These are groups of people who share a common interest. Each group deals with particular topics, ranging from rocket science to Irish music. One person starts the ball rolling in an article, stating an opinion, or documenting research findings, or posing a question relevant to the topic; and other people in the group read what they have written and gives their responses. Then people will give their responses to those responses, and so on. It very often leads to lively discussion. Unlike a discussion you see on the television or read about in the paper, though, you have the opportunity to join in yourself.
In addition the internet has a vast repository of information which is accessible. This information ranges from weather reports to the works of Shakespeare to research reports.
This is just an outline of the information and facilities available on the internet.
As can be appreciated, many of the 40 million people on the internet are parents. As can also be appreciated, the issues which concern Parental Equality are not confined to Ireland. Child care, custody, divorce, parental alienation, equality, child support, etc. are all issues which are actively discussed and researched on the internet. Psychologists on the internet are studying the impact of separation on children, solicitors are looking for and advising clients, researchers are publishing reports,... and parents are looking for support and information.
There already are already fully established discussion groups that have been dealing with issues of relevance to Parental Equality. Examples of these groups are:-
alt.child-support alt.child-support is a newsgroup where people discuss some of the problems and their (possible) solutions, or the weaknesses and strengths of the child-support systems in force today.
alt.dads-rights alt.dads-rights is a newsgroup where people discuss some of the problems and their (possible) solutions, or the weaknesses and strengths of divorced/divorcing fathers in settlements, custody disputes, or other matters involved in marital dissolution.
alt.support.divorce A support group for people heading into, going through, and fresh from divorce.
alt.support.single-parents A support group for the parenting concerns facing single parents, both custodial and non-custodial.
alt.support.step-parents A support group for the subsequent mates of single parents.
bit.listserv.free-l The Fathers' Rights & Equality Exchange. This newsgroup specifically addresses father's rights.
It is important to realise that the people contributing to these discussions vary in profession from barrister to psychologist to lay person, from every country in the world. There is even an Irish Law page run by a lecturer in law at Tallaght RTC. The contributors to this discussion are from Australia, New Zealand, the USA, the UK and so on.
In addition to the live discussions, these groups have gathered information particularly relevant to Parental Equality. Examples are: child support statistics, psychological studies which favour joint custody, how to deal with false allegations of abuse, studies on the impact on children of separation, guidance on dealing with the problem of living a long distance from your children, how to deal with the legal process, battered husbands, etc.
Some of the discussions are obviously not directly relevant to the Irish situation. But some of the information and studies are very relevant - and are not available in Ireland. For example statistics clearly show that a parent who maintains contact with his/her children is far more likely to contribute financially to the support of the children.
It is worth noting that these groups are not by and about men. Mothers/fathers, single/married, grand/step-parents, etc... all contribute.
The judiciary in this country make decisions on all aspects of marital disputes. The only way they can make an informed decision is if they are aware of current thinking on the subject. Each judge has his/her own bias on what is in the interests of the children. Is this based on case law, the constitution, research, or simply their own experience? I suspect it is primarily due to the latter. Are family law records kept? If not, does this imply that each family law judge works independently? In who's interest are family law solicitors/barristers working?
The experience of other groups and the wealth of real studies is available to us. This information can be used by us to educate the judiciary of this country.
At the present time the members of Parental Equality have only limited access to the internet. Within a very short period of time this will change. All the members of the US government are already on the internet - anyone in the world can send email direct to President Clinton. The same is happening in the UK. The newsgroups that are already on the internet have a head start. We can build on their effort and make use of their resources. A while back I discovered that I was not alone when I contacted Parental Equality. Parental Equality is not alone.
