When I read this morning that Brad and Angie were kaput, I didn’t believe it. After all, every month for the past several years some gossip magazine has splashed this headline across their cover page. Only it was never true.
But today it is, and to my surprise the liberal heroine of human rights, Ms. Jolie, wants to deprive her children of a basic human right: the right to have a full relationship with their father. Yes, children have a right to know both their parents, a right so precious that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child includes this provision in Article 18:
“State parties shall use their best efforts to ensure recognition of the principle that both parents have common responsibilities for the upbringing and development of the child.”
In this day and age when a mother, like Ms. Jolie, asks a court to award sole custody of the children to her, it can only be interpreted as a denunciation of the children’s father. In most family courts, a claim for sole custody in favour of one parent usually signals that the other parent is a drunk, an addict, a child molester, is in jail, or so mentally ill that he or she is incapable of taking care of the children.
Sole custody means that the custodial parent alone will decide where the children live, where they go to school, what kind of school they will attend and what religion will be taught to them.
In Canada a judge of the Supreme Court held that a non-custodial parent has no more rights than an “interested observer”- A shocking pronouncement for a parent who finds him or herself estranged from his children by virtue of relationship breakdown.
If reports that the Jolie-Pitt’s are frequently on different continents is accurate, it will be difficult to craft an equitable parenting schedule. Note that I didn’t say equal. That may be impossible, but children need stability as much as they need both parents in their lives.
Ms. Jolie has a reputation as a compassionate humanitarian and has undertaken massive charitable projects throughout the third world focusing on children’s rights. I believe that if she understood what her claim for sole custody really meant, she would resile from it.
I hope that for the children’s sake she does and does so very quickly.
Lawdiva's Blog 
California law may help sort it out if that is where the filing is. We will eventually learn the reasons for the application as they will be spelled out if opposed. Let’s hope the lawyers encourage a non litigation parental plan for the children, as one may divorce the spouse but not the kids.
Hey…if Angelina plants her roots in a country desperately in need of a humanitarian whose focus would be on bringing fairness and equality (notice I did not say equity) to parental rights; and if Brad followed her there because this country doesn’t currently recognize fathers fairly or with equality, then it would be a win/win right. Welcome to Canada Jolie/Pitt family. Not to worry Brad….there are lots of focus groups for fathers…they resolve little…but give us an opportunity to vent.
I could not disagree more strongly with your statement, “In most family courts, a claim for sole custody in favour of one parent usually signals that the other parent is a drunk, an addict, a child molester, is in jail, or so mentally ill that he or she is incapable of taking care of the children.” In Massachusetts, the courts only award joint custody in a small minority of cases. This creates many loving, capable non-custodial parents who must then live with the stigma you describe above. This stigma is particularly devastating for mothers who are punished for nothing other than being the primary earners for their families. The number of these non-custodial mothers, like myself, will only grow if we do not pass nationwide shared parenting legislation.
Amy I practice family law in British Columbia and that is the law I am referring to when I make my comments about sole custody. What a shame that Mass. has not yet accepted that joint custody is better for children and parents. As regards shared parenting, I am a member of Leading Women for Shared Parenting. I commend their website to you. If you search my blog with the term “shared parenting” you will see that I have written prolifically on this topic, both on my blog and for various newspapers and legal journals.
You’re preaching to the choir here…. but thanks for contributing to the discussion!
Evidence in social media tid-bits, reveals that the Applicant in this case may have a personality disorder characterized by obsessive controlling behaviour, elements of narcissism, and disabilities related to empathy. More will become known, but one thing is sure, that if the matter goes to litigation, the children loose no matter how it plays out.
Yes, the media is going wild with this one. Apparently her former nannies are speaking out and it is not a pretty picture… no surprise that her kids have been raised by other people…sad situation
Excellent article. Nice to see someone advocating for father’s rights. With all this technology, one almost forgets that God intended for children to have both their Father and Mother. After all, it’s the father who decides the sex of the child.
Another case where courts may likely ignore UN Conventions and provide the Mother (in most cases) with Sole Custody and thus create unwarranted hardship, pain and conflict on all family member. We’ve got it all backwards.
It is with pleasure that I watch ‘progressive’ Western Societies burn for their stupidity from the craziness of the Single Motherhood problem ravaging through the inner cities of America to the total breakdown of the institution of marriage leading to negative population replacement in their respective workforces and the anticipation of the fall of western values and civilization as it it taken over by cultures that are flourishing. Good article though.
What a post on Angelina Jolie! and the prenup is not the main subject? amazing!