Publications about paternity fraud have flooded blogs and headlines recently and it is not a new story to be heard. A man discovered that all four of his children do not belong to him after conducting a DNA test without the knowledge of his wife. This discovery has opened the floodgate of opinions and thoughts regarding this issue. The question remains what will happen after discovering paternity fraud?
What is Paternity Fraud?
Paternity fraud, misattributed paternity, or Paternal discrepancy is a situation where a man is incorrectly termed to be the biological father of a child. Paternity fraud seemingly has a tight grip in modern-day society as several cases have been discovered in recent times. Paternity fraud is not a concept that is new to society. It is a practice that is as old as time. But since such technology had not been discovered it was hard to tell and many people relied on the physical attributes and features of the child.
Paternity fraud is the pretense that a man is the legitimate and biological father of a child. This may be either by mistake, where the woman is wrong in her own belief as to who the child’s father is. Or may be on purpose, where the mother knows that the man is not the child’s biological father but for reasons known to her claims a man to be the father.
Several paternity fraud cases occur when a woman is having an extramarital affair and gets pregnant because she engages with another man in the same space and time it may be difficult to prove who is the father. It also occurs when a woman has multiple sex partners. And she identifies one of them as the father to receive an increased amount of child support. A mother commits paternity fraud if she makes a false statement. Or fails to state the truth regarding a man’s status as a biological father, leading him to believe that he is the biological father when she knows that he isn’t the father.
There is a famous example of a Zambian nurse named Elizabeth Bwalya Mwewa, who owned up to swapping about 5,000 babies for 12 years “for the fun of it” on her dying bed. The women affected might never have restored their ruined homes or removed the garb of unfaithfulness and adultery as the truth behind the genetic chaos of their children’s paternity might never have been uncovered. So many consequences come with the discovery of paternity fraud. It is a life-altering change for the parties involved. This brings us to another question. What causes paternity fraud?
Causes of Paternity Fraud
- Pressure of Marriage
In our society, a man is presumed to be a child’s father once the child is born within the marriage, no questions asked. The question of who impregnated the woman is not necessary. Provided she is married and has a husband, it is assumed that the husband is the father of the child. In situations of this nature, the question of paternity does not arise unless the man has evidence to prove or there is a need to suspect.
There are cases where an unmarried woman with an unwanted pregnancy gets married to a man before giving birth and the newborn baby becomes the man’s child in some cultures with prior knowledge it is tradition.
However, paternity fraud occurs in Nigeria because of the high emphasis that our society places on biological children. In Nigeria, marriage is seen as incomplete or failed if it does not produce any biological children.
- Error in Swapping Children
Another very important reason for paternity fraud is due to the error of child swapping in the hospitals where they are born whether intentionally or unintentionally. Hospitals and health Centers with maternity wards have midwives and nurses in charge of delivery. And after the cleaning up of the child, these babies can be swapped. In public hospitals, where the children are collectively put in wards, the swapping may be unintentional.
- Unwanted pregnancies
Another reason for paternity fraud is unwanted pregnancies. In trying to avoid the social stigma of unwanted pregnancies and for some other reasons, some women pin their pregnancies on some men who might not be the ones who got them pregnant to hide the shame.
- Moral Views of Society
The condemnation of sex before marriage is the most important morality issue that has gained the attention of Nigerians in recent times. Due to the fear of stigma and the judging eyes of sex before marriage when a woman gets pregnant she has to come up with a solution. Even if it means pinning it on someone else and in several cases that is what is done.
The Reasons for paternity Secrets
Women usually are demonized and accused of paternity fraud. However, there are multiple reasons why women keep paternity of children secret both when they have knowledge about false paternity and also when they have questions about paternity certainty. These reasons do not justify deceit but they are circumstances and reasons that cause paternity fraud. Some of the reasons are stated below
- DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR SEXUAL ASSAULT
Women who are victims of domestic violence in a bid to protect themselves from more abuse refrain from revealing paternity uncertainty. Women who have been raped keep the paternity issues secret and therefore refuse to disclose to the biological father due to fear of what might happen. The majority of women fear the consequences of revealing to their husbands, not being believed, and being accused of infidelity.
- UNCERTAINTY
Another reason why women keep secrets about paternity is that there were uncertain about who the real father of the child is. For instance, if a woman is involved in multiple relationships or partakes in a one-night stand, she might find herself uncertain about the paternity. And may typically assume that the father of the child is the one with the longer sexual relationship when some cases it can be either of her partners.
- LEGAL ISSUES
Another reason for paternity fraud sometimes emanates out of legal cases. This is so because most of the time, judges assume that women hold the knowledge about paternity and keep it to themselves for selfish reasons therefore getting serious sentences. So to save themselves they keep it a secret.
Many women also keep secrets to secure the inheritance of a future for their children by pinning the paternity to a man who is financially buoyant compared to the biological father.
Legal cases rarely give reasons why a woman might keep paternity secrets, instead reasons for women’s paternity lies are much more connected to the facts of multiple partners.
In addition, it has been wisely suggested that society should view these “strong private matters” not in a “moralistic, judgmental and politicized manner, but rather should consider them to be unintended outcomes of the human condition. That is human error made by the actions of women and men in the context of intimate relationships. Under the eyes of the law, paternity fraud falls under the tort of deceit but no law criminalizes it currently.
Paternity fraud is deception and seems to be a pressing issue in today’s society many reasons result in paternity fraud however it is not justified. Different opinions and thoughts seem to be flying around in regards to paternity issues. A comment made on X (formerly Twitter) reads that “A man conducting a DNA on his children simply suggests that he does not trust the wife however such suspicions may be wrong and could lead to a break of the marriage.” That is a valid point.
Another user on X commented that having a conversation about it with your wife is needed if a man is having any doubts, many comments under the posts insinuated that the woman may lie or wiggle herself out by falsifying the DNA results. Sounds like a Nollywood movie, but these things do happen.
Criminalizing the offense may help reduce the rate of paternity fraud. However, it is an individual’s decision and may not completely stop it but taking a step to place a penalty will do some good not only to the women but also to health officials who take part in the process.
