Fathers4Justice use Johnny Depp case to start divorce campaign
Fathers4Justice (F4J) have launched a campaign for divorce equality for men today with a “Ditch The Witch” advert featuring Amber Heard and Johnny Depp on advertising vans outside the High Court where the Johnny Depp libel trial is ongoing.
#Divorce4Men will campaign for fairer divorce laws for men which F4J say are sexist, outdated and a “gold diggers charter”. The campaign is also running on beer matts and in men’s toilets in a national chain of pubs.
F4J say the ongoing war of words between Depp and Heard is the best advert for divorce in the world, but say current “no fault divorce” reforms will make it easier for fathers to be removed from families, and will not end the blame game between warring parents, but simply drive them into the family courts.
The campaign seeks the following reforms:
- Moratorium on divorce law reform so men have an equal voice and representation in the reform process.
- End spousal maintenance and encourage women to be financially independent following divorce, with responsibility for their own provision.
- A legal presumption of 50/50 automatic shared parenting and 50/50 division of assets and monies after separation.
- 6-month “cooling-off” period with mandatory mediation and counselling before either party can file for divorce.
Said F4J founder Matt O’Connor; “London is the divorce capital of the world with a sixth of divorce cases involving foreign nationals.”
“Under current divorce laws our message to men is simple: it’s time to say I don’t – don’t get married – because marriage is a trap, a man trap.”
“We want to end the ‘fraud of the rings’ and establish the principle of ‘divorce equality’ between husbands and wives after separation.”
“The new divorce laws are a gold diggers charter and a licence to bill giving lifetime pay-outs to greedy bridezilla’s. Women don’t marry men for their money, they divorce them for it.”
“The government and lawyers are selling this as helping children, but it doesn’t make the system less adversarial for children, it simply transfers the problem to the family courts.”
“Mums will exploit no fault divorce to aid the removal of fathers from families, many of whom naively believe that the conclusion of a divorce provides them with rights to see their children, when it does not.”
“Everything else about the archaic, sexist notions of divorce remain, including spousal maintenance being paid to women. No wonder divorce lawyers are celebrating these reforms.”
“It’s good for business, but bad for dads and terrible for children.”
READ MORE HERE:
The Independent Fathers4Justice launches ‘Ditch The Witch’ campaign outside Johnny Depp court case https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/fathers4justice-johnny-depp-amber-heard-court-case-libel-trial-divorce-law-a9628351.html
#DIVORCE4MEN CONTACT DETAILS:
www.Divorce4MenUK.com
Twitter: @Divorce4MenUK
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Divorce4MenUK/
Instagram: @Divorce4MenUK
MARRIAGE FACTS
- London is the divorce capital of the world following a series of huge pay-outs in favour of ex-spouses. The Times, 2017
- A sixth of all divorce cases heard by English courts involve foreign nationals. The Times, 2017
- The average cost of divorce in the UK is £70,243 and rising. Seddons Solicitors, 2016
- Marriage rates have fallen to an all-time low according to the Office for National Statistics. In 2015, the most recent full year for which figures are available, there were 239,020 marriages between opposite sex couples – down 3.4 per cent on 2014.
- The cost of divorce is up 17% in 3 years. Aviva, 2018 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/divorce-cost-rise-legal-fees-housing-costs-a8152116.html
- An estimated 42% of marriages fail. Around half of these divorces are expected to occur in the first 10 years of marriage. Office for National Statistics, 2017
- 61% of divorces were petitioned by the wife. Office for National Statistics, 2017
- The most common grounds for divorce was unreasonable behaviour, with 36% of all husbands and 51% of all wives petitioning for divorce on these grounds. Office for National Statistics, 2017
- There were 106,959 divorces of opposite-sex couples in 2016, an increase of 5.8% compared with 2015. Office for National Statistics, 2017
- The median duration of marriage (the mid-point of all durations) for divorces granted to opposite-sex couples in 2016 was 12.0 years, increasing slightly from 11.9 in 2015. Office for National Statistics, 2017
- Only half of today’s millennials will marry, whereas 90% of today’s 60 year olds married. The Marriage Foundation, 2017
- Just 52% of 20-year-old men will get married. Benson 2014, Office for National Statistic
- Spousal maintenance in England and Wales is granted regardless of an ex-spouses ability to support themselves. Fathers4Justice, 2017
- There are no set rules for maintenance payments and no cap on the time-limit for maintenance payments. These can be on-going and last a lifetime unless an ex-spouse remarries. Fathers4Justice, 2017
- Other countries like Sweden do not offer spousal maintenance for ex-partners. Alimony is only paid in extreme circumstances when it can last a maximum of just 6 months. Ex-spouses are encouraged to be financially independent following a divorce and are responsible for their own provision. Fathers4Justice, 2017
ENDS
