Virtual visitation
When a couple divorce, their parents, family and friends are affected, their work place relations may bear the brunt and almost all who know them feel estranged, sad or just uncomfortable. But the greatest effect is possibly on the children that a divorcing couple may have. Without being one of the partners to a contract they never made or broke, the children become the victims of it.
The divorce rate in the UK being so high, there is special need to attend to the problems of the children of broken homes. Sad but true, they are still the neglected lot despite all the apparent limelight on them. They are either treated as a problem that needs to be solved or a burden that has to be borne. A child is on the lookout for security, not just food and shelter. And it is an intangible emotion that is generated in them by the presence of the two people who happen to be their parents.
What is Visitation?
Most divorce battles are fought over maintenance and visitation. While the first term is quite easy to understand as it concerns monetary values, the second concept is more tricky. When a couple parts, there are three ways in which they can arrange for their children.
? Joint Custody: In this case, both parents take turns at letting the child stay with him or her.
? Single Custody with Visitation: In this case, the child stays with one parent, usually the mother, while the other parent is allowed to visit the child, take him or her out for holidays or weekends and keep in touch over internet and phone.
? Single Custody without Visitation: Here the child is under the sole care of one guardian only, and the other is barred from contact by the court.
So as it can be seen from the above description, visitation is the right granted to a non-custodian parent to visit and keep in touch with his or her child after divorce.
What is Virtual Visitation?
The typical description of visitation gave great importance to the physical presence of the parent and the child. However, this is being changed to 'contact' now in legal terminology too. This means that if a parent keeps in touch over phone, mail, chat and other forms of non-physical means of communication, it would still be legally valid. Virtual or electronic or internet visitation, however, refers specifically to internet chats between the parent and child when both parties are virtually connected.
What is Needed for Virtual Visitation?
What does a virtual visitation entail?
? Both parties must have a computer with an internet connection, a webcam and access to the same network providing internet chatting facility.
? The parties will either agree upon themselves or be given by court order a time when the regular virtual visit will happen (for example ? on every Tuesday evening and Saturday morning). Specifications of the visit, such as how long it will be, how frequently, at what time and other details are also subjective and vary according to the couple's circumstances.
? The non-custodian parent and the child will log into the chat at the pre-fixed time and converse with each other, and be able to see other as well. The custodian parent may or may not be present.
Is It Effective?
This method is still more popular in the US than in the UK, where it is nevertheless catching on. There is naturally a hot debate over its effectiveness, and the laws regarding virtual visitation are yet to be crystallized in both countries.
Advantages of Virtual Visitation
The obvious advantage is that having some connection with your child is better than no connection. It saves time, money, may be less traumatic for all, and is very convenient. It is also a solution if the parents are living far away, even in different countries from each other.
Disadvantages of Virtual Visitation
The disadvantage is equally obvious ? malicious parents may use this as a scheme to stop physical contact altogether with the non-custodian parent ? emotionally damaging both the parent and the child. It may also increase the mental distance between the two and make their relation a very strained one. It may also make it easier for the absentee parent to stop visitation and, therefore, shirk maintenance as well on the pretext of no contact.
Article Source: Messaggiamo.Com
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