Michael Abrahams | Paternity fraud

The past couple of weeks have been very interesting for me. Two weekends ago, a friend informed me that a mutual friend of ours recently found out that one of his children is not his biological child.

The following week, stories broke in social media about two popular and internationally famous Jamaican public figures, an athlete and a musician, who recently discovered, after genetic testing, that they were not the biological fathers of all their children. That same weekend, while at a pharmacy, a man approached me and engaged me in a conversation, during which he asked me where he could do a paternity test as he suspected that his three-year-old son was not biologically his.

On the heels of the reports of the athlete and the musician, Jamaican lawmaker Heroy Clarke, member of parliament for St James Central, reiterated his call for mandatory DNA testing at birth to address the issue of paternity fraud. Clarke first introduced the proposal during the 2021 State of the Constituency Debates, expressing concern about the emotional and social consequences of men unknowingly raising children who are not biologically theirs.

Paternity fraud refers to the intentional misidentification of a child’s biological father. In some cases of paternal discrepancy, genuine errors are made, and there is no intention to deceive. However, statistics often fail to differentiate cases of real fraud from non-fraudulent misassignment. In Jamaica, we call a child assigned to a man who is not his biological father a “jacket.”

VERY COMMON

Child-shifting is very common in Jamaica, and we have one of the highest rates in the world. A 2005 scientific review found a range of 0.8 per cent to 30 per cent worldwide, with a median of 3.7 per cent. Canada and the UK have reported rates of 2.8 per cent and 1.6 per cent, respectively. A 2022 study from the United States found that 11 per cent of men were not the biological fathers of the children they were raising. Nigeria has been reported to have a rate of 30 per cent.

The preliminary findings of a study commenced in 2016 by Dr Herbert Gayle, an anthropologist at the University of the West Indies, indicated that 25 per cent of Jamaican men are unknowingly raising children who are not biologically theirs. Today, the study is finding a rate of just under 20 per cent, suggesting that one in five Jamaican men is fathering a “jacket”.

This statistic seems alarming, but the question is, But why does this happen? There is a multiplicity of reasons why this occurs. A study conducted by the Northern Caribbean University and published in 2023 found the most common reason (15.1 per cent) was that the man was financially stable. Sometimes, child-shifting is done to prevent chaos in a relationship. If a woman’s spouse realises the child she gives birth to is not his, it could lead to serious turmoil in, or the end of, the relationship or even violence. Another contributing factor, according to Gayle, may be genetics. The paternity fraud rate is also very high in Ghana, and many Jamaicans of African ancestry are descended from Ghanaian ancestors.

The consequences of paternal discrepancy can be catastrophic. Discovering that the man you thought was your father is not your biological parent or that the child you call your son or your daughter is not your biological offspring can be devastating for child and parent. For example, if a boy or man discovers that he was deceived by his mother and denied the opportunity to have a relationship with his biological father, it can lead to not only immediate distress and anger and resentment towards his mother, but also long-term sequelae such as trust issues with women with whom he has relationships.

IDENTITY ISSUES

Children so affected can have serious identity issues. Some may face ridicule or bullying, especially if the discrepancy is obvious, such as the child displaying features of an ethnicity not present in either his mother or assigned father. Sometimes the resemblance of the child to the biological father is obvious, and the man may even live in the same community, creating an awkward situation. “Jackets” also risk being romantically involved with or reproducing with someone they are unknowingly related to. They are also at risk of not being accurately evaluated for diseases that are in their families and are genetically transmitted. Paternal discrepancy can also lead to inheritance and migration issues.

When a man realises that he has had a child assigned to him that is not biologically his, especially if he has been financially supporting the child, anger, resentment, and humiliation are common reactions. Some men will disown the children. However, some will accept them as they have bonded with, nurtured and loved them for years.

At present, in Jamaica, women who knowingly misidentify the father on a birth certificate can face penalties under the Registration (Births and Deaths) Act, including fines of up to $250,000 or imprisonment for up to three months. But what about mandatory testing?

If it is done, everyone will know, from day one, who the biological father is, and this can avoid chaos and heartache down the road. On the other hand, revealing that the man the child is assigned to is not the father can lead to violence directed at the mother in her vulnerable post-partum state, placing her safety at risk. Also, some men are more than willing to accept the child as theirs even if they are not the biological parent, and exposing the discrepancy can embarrass them and potentially interfere with the bond they could have with the child. Not all “jackets” are unwanted.

Mandatory testing is not the answer to our “jacket” problem. On the other hand, it would be appropriate to advise people where they and their offspring can get tested and also offer counselling prior to testing in the event that the test results cause disruption.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams.