Jersey deputy proposes removing 'illegitimate' child status
Jersey's parenting laws could be changed so children born out of wedlock are no longer considered "illegitimate".Home Affairs Minister Deputy Mary Le Hegarat said in a proposition about half of all children in the island were born to unmarried parents.Currently, only children born to a mixed-sex couple who are married are considered "legitimate".Despite recent changes to the marriage laws, children born to a couple in a civil partnership are still regarded as illegitimate.
Le Hegarat said: "The option of abolishing the status of legitimacy is strongly preferable, as it is no longer reflective of modern family life."Only children whose parents are married and in a mixed-sex relationship are currently provided with the status of being 'legitimate' at birth."She said it was "out of step with policy developments over the last few decades to modernise family law, so that legislation reflects modern family units more equitably".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
31 minutes ago
- Sky News
'Happy Father's Day, Papa': Royal children share 'before and after' photos with Prince William
Why you can trust Sky News Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have wished their "papa", Prince William, a happy Father's Day. The post on the Prince and Princess of Wales's official social media pages features two photos - captioned "before and after". The children are seen hugging their father - and then piling on top of him. The post reads: "Happy Father's Day, Papa (before and after!) We love you! G, C & L." Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The novels every 16-year-old boy should read
It's hard to be a boy. A few years ago, such a statement would be unthinkable. After all, we were told we lived in an enlightened world where traditionally 'masculine' qualities – strength, fortitude, stoicism – were outdated, even toxic. No longer. Almost weekly, we get a new headline decrying the difficulty of being a young man. Andrew Tate, the manosphere, Adolescence: the crisis of boyhood, especially among poor, working-class boys, is well attested to. And last week the National Literacy Trust found that reading enjoyment for boys aged 11-16 is at the lowest level it has been for two decades; for girls, by contrast, it was slightly improved. What's to be done? One solution, of course, is to find books that boys want to read. By themselves, books won't teach you how to move through the world as a man. But there are few better places to start: books are invitations to other worlds, other minds. There is no better tool for empathy. My boyhood reading is what made me who I am today. As a teenager, my tastes were omnivorous and hopelessly pretentious. But the book which stayed with me the most was Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. As a young man, I was thrilled by adventure and the sense of possibility that lay off the edge of old maps and half-understood languages. Now though, as a slightly less young man, I turn back to it for its quiet, gentle humanity. For me, the process of growing up through – and with – books, has above all been about grasping one message: to be a great man is easy. But to be a good man? That is truly tough. The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier First published in 1956, The Silver Sword tells the story of three Polish children Edek, Bronia and Ruth, caught up in the chaos of the Second World War, who with the help of an older boy, Jan, set off across Europe in search of their vanished parents. It's a cracking adventure story, with improving lessons about courage, friendship and loyalty. It first enthralled me when I was about 14, enthralled my son and more recently enthralled my grandson. Mick Brown Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh When I was 16 and thinking of trying to get into Cambridge to read English my marvellous English master gave me a pile of novels, plays and poetry to consume, reaching far outside the English A-level course. Hidden among the heavy novels was a slim volume called Decline and Fall, by Evelyn Waugh. I had never read anything like it; jokes on every page, many of them quite offensive, ridicule of the aristocracy, the church, the penal system and above all schools, and all told in a relentless narrative drive that caused me to finish the book in two or three hours. I had within weeks read everything else that Waugh wrote, and I doubt I was the only youth on whom he had that effect. His style is magnificent and his appeal irresistible. Simon Heffer by Geoffrey Household I can imagine that many teenage boys would find the reckless, solitary narrator of Household's classic thriller as easy to identify with as Adrian Mole. Published a few weeks before the outbreak of the Second World War, the book begins with the protagonist taking it on himself to assassinate an unnamed foreign leader (recognisably Hitler); failing, he goes on the run and ends up hiding from his pursuers in a hole in the ground in the 'green depths' of Dorset. The classic novel of how to draw on your inner resources to survive, it's the most exciting, vicarious adventure I've experienced. Jake Kerridge The Short Stories of HG Wells by HG Wells Long before there was Black Mirror, there was HG Wells cracking out some of the weirdest, most thought-provoking stories ever written. They're short; they don't dwell too much on character development; and they twist the mind in all sorts of new directions. The Country of the Blind and The Door in the Wall are classics, but there's plenty more to grab the teen imagination here. Enjoyed Supacell on Netflix? Take a sip of The New Accelerator, the elixir that makes movement so rapid it can set your clothes on fire. Like superheroes? Check out The Man Who Could Work Miracles. These stories are the foundation stones of science-fiction. Whole universes await. Chris Harvey Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Don't let the fact that the title is a part of a Macbeth soliloquy put off the teenager in your life: Gabrielle Zevin's novel is really a paean to the magic of video games and young, mixed-sex friendships. The story of Sam and Sadie – childhood best friends who grew apart but rekindle their relationship and start a successful games studio – is modern, literary but accessible and, above all, an absorbing tale. While many parents fret about their children spending too much time playing video games rather than reading books, Tomorrow … could be an effective gateway to the joys of literature. I only wish that it had been published when I was a boy, rather than (as I did) reading it on my honeymoon. Liam Kelly The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut I haven't dared pick up a Vonnegut for 20 years. I fear he is one of those habits you probably ought to have dropped by your twenties, like picking your nose or minding who wins football matches. But I was a huge Vonnegut guy in my teens. Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions tend to be recommended but the one I really loved was The Sirens of Titan. It is so stuffed full of madcap ideas that no AI or video game could ever compete. Sadly I can't see how the plot would be relevant to readers today: it is about an astronomically wealthy man who finances a trip to Mars and imperils all of humanity. Ed Cumming by Adrian Tchaikovsky In my own teenage years, science fiction offered an exciting bridge to grown-up literature, with big ideas expressed in the fine prose of Ray Bradbury, Ursula K Le Guin, Philip K Dick and Kurt Vonnegut. Recently, one of my sons was having so much fun reading Dogs of War by contemporary British sci-fi star Adrian Tchaikovsky that I dove in myself. It's a mind-boggling story that extrapolates the genetically modified animals of HG Wells's The Island of Dr Moreau into a cyberpunk future not far removed from our own. The narrator is a heavily armed dog named Rex, and the tale addresses moral quandaries around artificial intelligence, slavery, animal welfare and the ethics of warfare with wit and pathos. My son and I have already gobbled up the excellent sequel, 2021's brilliant Bear Head, and eagerly await volume three, Bee Speaker (due later this year). Neil McCormick Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell 'It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen'. If that stark opening line doesn't hook them in, then doubtful readers can be assured that the ensuing pages contain the most perturbing futuristic vision of England ever written, a world of constant surveillance, ever-changing jargon, physical violence, sinister authority and the crushing of individuality; in short everything a teenage boy may feel is already the case but magnified to the nth degree. Any young reader will emerge from Orwell 's suspenseful masterpiece armed with a handy range of sharp political and philosophical concepts and inspired to devour more where that came from. Dominic Cavendish
The Guardian
34 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Modest fashion' headed for mainstream despite political hostility, say experts
Fashion influenced by Islam and other religions is expected to become 'mainstream' globally, in spite of politicians singling out the burqa and the hijab, as the rise of 'modest fashion' is powered by influencers, luxury brands and big tech. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has said employers should be able to ban staff from wearing face coverings, before adding that she was not in favour of a government ban. Her remarks came days after the Reform MP Sarah Pochin asked the prime minister, Keir Starmer, if he would ban the burqa, a veil which covers the face and body, following France's lead. Clothing worn by some Muslim women has become a lightning rod for arguments about integration, personal liberty, women's rights and Islamophobia on both sides of the Channel. A French ban on children under 15 wearing the hijab was proposed last month, and in 2023, France banned girls in state schools from wearing the abaya, the loose-fitting robe worn by some Muslim women. Nonetheless, recent research by Bath Spa University found that 'persistent and growing demand' for modest fashion internationally – typified by looser styles which cover the limbs with a high neckline – was driven by Muslim consumers and Instagram users, with Amazon and Farfetch emerging as market leaders at the affordable and luxury ends of the market respectively. Bournemouth University's Dr Samreen Ashraf, who has pioneered UK research into modest fashion, said its growth was also driven by women's desire to avoid objectification. She said the market remained underserved, with issues around clear labelling from big brands and affordability with smaller suppliers. 'It's not just women with strong religious beliefs,' she added. Women who have faced body shaming or body dysmorphia, who don't have any belief, turn towards modest fashion's more flowing designs. 'Reports have suggested growth of the European modest clothing market from €56.8bn to €72.5bn between 2021 and 2025 – 17.2% of that is UK, of which 6.5% identify themselves as Muslim. That has been one of the reasons why there's been an upward turn. 'Also, with social media, people are feeling: 'I can fully express my religious or cultural identity.'. Especially when the likes of M&S and Asos and Uniqlo and H&M are also offering modest clothing. 'It's not just one religion however, but all faiths, and also empowerment: that if I don't want to reveal my body to others, why should I? Blunt statements from people in power don't serve any good purpose to women. Individual liberty, respect and tolerance are British values.' Bath Spa University's 2025 research found that leading brands' production of hijab and Ramadan lines showed 'the evolution of modest fashion into a mainstream fashion subculture'. Significantly, Muslim influencers on TikTok, many of whom focus on modest fashion, exceeded 125m views in 2023, says the growth strategy research firm DinarStandard, which projects that 30% of the world's 15- to 29-year-olds will be Muslim by 2030. The purchasing power of Muslim shoppers – including from wealthy Gulf states – is credited with leading luxury brands to enter the space, joining independent Muslim retailers and female entrepreneurs worldwide. The aesthetic overlaps with 'quiet luxury' and 'old money' styles, with 'longer hemlines' in common, according to Vogue Arabia. A 2023, Bournemouth University study, led by Ashraf, found 'increasing stigma … associated with Islam post 9/11' had led Muslims to adopt a stronger sense of identity including through 'choosing modest clothing items'. After Pochin's comments, Muslim Women's Network said women who wore the burqa, or other religious dress, were 'simply exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and belief', while the Muslim Council of Britain said 'lazy tropes' were being used to malign a 'proudly British' community.
