Judicial rulings target unpaid child support in Argentina and Mexico

In Rosario, Argentina, Judge Andrea Mariel Brunetti of the Juzgado Unipersonal de Familia N° 11 has ordered a novel method to collect unpaid child support. After previous sanctions, such as the suspension of a driver's license and registration in the debtor registry, failed to compel payment, the court ruled that the electricity provider must act as a withholding agent. The unpaid debt will be added as a specific item to the debtor's monthly electricity bill; once paid, the company will retain the amount and transfer it to a judicial account for the beneficiaries. The judge noted that if the debt persists, service interruption could eventually be considered following proper notification.

In a separate case in Cihuatlán, Jalisco, Mexico, a man was sentenced to three years in prison for failing to pay child support for 90 months. The accumulated debt reached approximately 467,000 pesos. In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered the individual to pay a fine and fully reimburse the outstanding amount to his children.