This means that fathers become visitors, not fathers. In addition, the courts usually fail to enforce visitation, he said, while the mothers are interfering in myriad ways to keep the kids away from their dads. It s largely a matter of attitude. A father starts out with a presumption against him, several fathers told Massachusetts News . To pay those orders, fathers often work 60-70 hours a week, which leaves them scant time to visit their children.
Unmarried fathers have few rights if their children are adopted.
And they rarely get physical or legal custody. The judges hand out restraining orders like candy, said Bonica. Many orders are bogus and used to punish fathers, he said. The restraining order, or 209A, law went into effect in 1992. The Boston Globe reported that there are about 53,000 restraining orders issued every year, or about 145 a day.