Court orders mother to give daughter to father when girl turns six

The Mt Hagen District Court has ordered a mother to hand over her daughter to her father when she is six years old.
Magistrate Donald Joseph also ordered the mother, Pricilla Dominic, to allow her daughter to stay with her father, Chris Mek, every weekend. The court ordered Mek to pay K150 every fortnight to Dominic and her daughter until she turned six and was returned to him.
Joseph made the decision after Dominic filed an application in court to take custody of her 15-month-old daughter. She wanted the father to pay maintenance till she was 18.
Joseph granted part of her application.
He said the father was working and wanted to take custody of his daughter, but not at this stage when she was only 15 months old.
Joseph told the applicant that she and her former husband, decided to go their own ways but the wellbeing of their child was very important.
He said under the Lukautim Pikinini Act, the wellbeing of the child was paramount. Joseph said the child needed clothing, food, good shelter and must be sent to school.
He said since the mother was not working, the child must be returned to the father when she turned six.