THE CHILD Support Act could be more aptly called the Treasury Support Act. Coming in to force in April 1993, it aims to force 'absent fathers' to pay maintenance to mothers on benefit. Far from being a progressive piece of legislation it is viciously racist, sexist and anti-working class. ieces of Tory legislation, to force the working class to pay another sice or the cost of the capitalist crisis. Under the guise of 'helping women' the Tories aim to save money, and also bolster their ideal of the family, in particula that the state should have no role or responsibility in the care and tinancing of children.
Even before the Act comes into force, the government is attempting to track down 'absent fathers" and force them to pay maintenance, even when neither the mother or child wants this contact.
They are not concerned it fathers are driven cawn bal income support level. They do not care i this ensures that the mother and children of his second family are impoverished.
The Treasury, not mothers, will Income Support; it will also pocket part of what is paid to mothers on Family Credit, Disablity Working Allowance and student grantloans.
DSS officers are already terrorising single mothers to name the father, asking for photos, threatening to cut off their benefit if they do not co-operate. This is ilegal. We must stop their itegality now, and in doing so make the into force, just as wo did with the Poll Tax.
From 1993 single mothers on grants or benefts will be fined 08.49 a wook for refusing to give information This could propel women into having forcible contact with fathers even if they are vicent and recipitate custody battles, especially or lesbian mothers It will give racist, sexist anc omophobic DSS officers enormous pressurise women into taking low-paid or illegal work even where it makes them poorer, rather than risk their Under the Torles the kids aren't alright safety or children in urwanted contact It is thus an attack on the rights of single mothers, the right to unhindered state benefits. The Child Support Agency is establishing computerised taxation and housing from Inland revenue and local authorities This has already involved walking into their workplaces and questioning employers and co-workers. targets Black families, for almost half Afro-Caribbean tamiles are headed by single mothers; and although it is often kept quiet, there are many single Asian mothers now.
Men of African, Asian and Carib been descent are more ikely to be unemployed, on lower wages, and supporting more dependents than Construction Safety Campaign and the Tory Lord All of which makes the comments of white men and therefore will be harder hit. And the courts might use failure to maintain' as grounds for deportabon.
Key tasks in the campaign against the met include une fording • Affiliate labour movement and campaign organisations to the Campaign against the Child Support Act • Circulate material from the campaign • Report all DSS harassment and * Pals local authorities to adopt a policy of non-cooperation with the Act • Get trade unions to force employers not to cooperate wint ur mot To contact the campaign write to PO Box 287, London NW6 5QU Phone 071-837 7509.