Government opposes joint custody bill

A majority of the Parliamentary Welfare Committee, consisting of coalition members, has turned down a proposal from the opposition on joint custody for unmarried parents.

Arguing that the government is working on its own joint custody solution, the coalition majority has advised Parliament to vote down the proposal, submitted by opposition party Javnaðarflokkurin (Social Democratic Party).

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The majority points out that Denmark has an agreement in principle regarding joint custody for unmarried parents, according to which both parents are responsible for ensuring that the child spends time with the non-custody parent.

No legal principle in the Faroes

This is not the case in the Faroe Islands, where custody disputes must be resolved in court.

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Opposition party Tjóðveldi (Republican Party) supports the bill on the proviso that work begins on an overhaul of the custody law now that this jurisdiction has been transferred from Denmark to the Faroes.

All political parties should be involved in the drafting of the new law, which should be based on custody laws in the other Nordic countries but adapted to Faroese needs, argues Tjóðveldi.