Observer 23/05 from November 10, 2005
Interview with Chantale Galladé, SP National Councilor from Zurich
Observer: Can divorced parents, who are often at odds, pull themselves together for the well-being of the child?
Chantal Galladé: A law cannot solve interpersonal conflicts. But a couple doesn't get divorced because they can't agree on the daycare place for their child. The reasons for separation do not play a role in joint custody. Even a quarreling couple can function in their parental role.
Observer: In the future, a mother would have to justify why she wants sole custody.
Does it make sense? Gallade: Yes. And it’s not about “washing dirty laundry” before the authorities. If I take my child's father away, I definitely have to justify it. Today's regulation allows for power games.
Observer: Aren't the fathers fighting for custody also about power?
Galladé: I assume that parents act in the interests of their children. The fathers fight for custody because they want to take responsibility. The current regulation penalizes those fathers who are committed to their children.
Observer: Some of your party colleagues have a different opinion: women have reasons if they don't want to share custody with their fathers.
Galladé: We probably have different ideas about equality. I believe that both parents have equal rights and continue to be parents after a separation. The law should also clearly regulate this. If you assume that the mother is the disadvantaged, you cement the image of the helpless woman.
Observer: If the mother has sole custody, the father is allowed to see the child regularly - if she offers a hand.
Galladé: It's shocking that the mother can decide. Normally we have to create an equal starting position for the parents. This means that the children cannot become a bargaining chip in disputes. For married people, it doesn't matter whether they are in a broken marriage or not - both have custody. But parents remain parents for life, whether divorced, single or married. That's why the father-child relationship should remain unbroken.