‘Effects’ of family court visits on children

Petitioner says state fails to fulfill its responsibility

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued notices to secretaries of different ministers to submit a report on the negative psychological impact meeting divorced or separated parents in family courts can have on a child’s mind.

The secretaries of ministries including interior, law and justice and human rights as well as Islamabad commissioner and IHC registrar have been instructed to visit the area allocated for family courts in district kutchery along with the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) psychiatric department head.

IHC Chief Justice Ather Minallah heard the case on the application filed by Hammad Hussain who stated that when children come to meet parents in family courts, the visit could have a psychologically damaging impact on them. He said that the state had failed to fulfill its responsibility in this regard which was clear violation of the United Nations (UN) charter.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2019.