Failure to pay alimony would be punished with prison only at night, if the initiative by legislator Óscar López, from the Accessibility without Exclusion Party (PASE), is successful.
The proposal would apply only to unemployed debtors and prison time would be between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
According to the legislator, that schedule would allow them to seek employment in order to meet their obligation.
There are many innocent men who go to jail under the orders of INAMU (National Women’s Institute), for not paying the alimony because they are unemployed,”
said López.
The project also establishes the obligation to include the specific needs of beneficiaries of the demanded alimony.
In addition, the deposit should be made in accordance with the schedule of payment of wages, pensions and allowances of the National Treasury.
The legislator said he hopes for a quick approval of the project, because there is an increasing number of cases of fathers who are obliged to pay alimonies that exceed their incomes.
Currently, the Child Support Act establishes a maximum period of detention for not paying the pension of 6 months and the person can go back to jail almost immediately for the same debt.