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A campaigner is taking his campaign across the country to ask for more equal parenting rights when parents split up.
Simon Cobb lived in Peterborough until fairly recently, working at Ideal World, and still visits the city regularly. He has an eight-year-old son, who was born during a previous relationship that ended in 2016.
He has been taking the PAPA (People Against Parental Alienation) Equal Parenting Campaign to many major cities across the UK, with Covid restrictions now lessening.
He wants to raise awareness of what he sees as a lack of fairness in the system, and many parents have regarded him as a shining light for them.
In the current system one parent often sees less of the child but pays out more, or is refused access altogether. There are also disparities with access to benefits.
The circumstances around his previous relationship provided the impetus for PAPA, and Simon had already visited ten towns and cities before Covid struck.
The circumstances around his previous relationship provided the impetus for PAPA, and Simon had already visited ten towns and cities before Covid struck.
He said: "Unless you have been in the situation you may be unaware of it, but you would be surprised at how many people it affects.
"As an example of the system; at the time of birth, if a mother knows who the father is but says she doesn't, that father may have to go to court to gain parental rights. There needs to be some form of deterrent to stop situations such as those.
"A lot of people have started following me for support and advice, particularly during Covid, and I have heard of some terrible situations.
"It is a biased system. I am just looking for fairness, and now I have started I'm not giving up; I don't until I finish something."
Simon is planning to meet MPs to lay out what he feels needs to be done to make the system more equal.
He is completing a new website for the campaign, and also has an Instagram account to share information and updates.
For more information about the PAPA campaign, see the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/167881353601718/
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