Men encouraged to assert parental rights through legal channels

Greater enforcement of laws governing parental access is needed to help fathers maintain relationships with their children, businessman Ronnie Sutherland has argued.

Sutherland, a former educator and managing partner of Strategic Solutions Limited, said many men become discouraged when they are denied access to their children following the breakdown of relationships and often feel the legal process does not work in their favour.

Speaking during the inaugural staging of The Paradigm Shift Father’s Day Forum at the S Hotel Kingston, Sutherland urged fathers to use the courts to protect their parental rights, while calling for stronger support systems to help men remain actively involved in their children’s lives.

“There needs to be greater enforcement of the law. Fathers should utilise the courts to maintain access to their children when that access is being denied,” he said.

The issue emerged as one of the central themes during the forum, which brought together fathers, educators, community leaders, law-enforcement representatives, and mentors to discuss fatherhood, family relationships, and the challenges facing Jamaican men.

Sutherland, who taught at Cornwall College for several years, said mentoring young men had long been a personal mission.

“While I was at Cornwall College, I took seriously the responsibility of helping to make boys into men of might. As the father of two sons, I have worked tirelessly to ensure they become strong, responsible men,” he said.

The issue of fatherhood extending beyond biological relationships also emerged during the discussion.

Custos of Kingston, Steadman Fuller, shared his experience of becoming a father figure to eight young men in addition to raising his four sons.

“I took them into my life as my own children and gave them hope, guidance, and an understanding that life could be bigger than the circumstances they were born into,” Fuller said.

Representing the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Kingston Central Policing Division, Corporal Adrian Cornwall urged men to become more proactive in seeking information and understanding their rights and responsibilities.

“Some of our men need guidance, and they need to exercise their constitutional right to information,” Cornwall said.

Founder of the Right Shift Foundation, Kevin D. Wallen, said the initiative was designed to encourage practical action rather than simply discussion.

The foundation will spend the next 90 days monitoring commitments made by participants, with a focus on strengthening fatherhood, mentorship, and family engagement.

As Jamaica continues to grapple with crime, violence, and fractured family structures, organisers said meaningful change would require more men to embrace active and responsible roles in the lives of their children and communities.