Deadbeat dads should be prevented from leaving Bermuda until they start paying up, a woman whose ex-husband owes her more than $7,000 in child support payments has demanded.

And while politicians on both sides of the Social Services spectrum stopped short of agreeing yesterday, they concurred that the increasing number of delinquent fathers is straining the social assistance system and demands immediate attention.

"I would like to implore any mothers whose ex-husbands are in arrears with child support to call or write your MP and push for legislation to put `deadbeat dads' on a stop list at the Airport,'' a Warwick woman, who claims that her former husband abandoned her for a younger woman after nearly ten years of marriage, said in a Letter to the Editor of The Royal Gazette .

"It is reprehensible that these men can thumb their noses at the justice system, ignoring court orders for support of their children, yet travel overseas, spending as if they have no responsibilities.'' According to the woman, her former husband had cleaned out their savings account after their divorce, refused to provide support for their children and tried to avoid a subsequent court order to provide support by appealing the matter to a higher authority.

When the higher court agreed that the husband must provide support, he continued to resist the order and eventually was "picked up'' by the Police in April, although by then, the woman's legal fees had nearly amounted to the $7,000 that her husband owed her and the Supreme Court was booked "until the end of February'' in terms of "disclosure'' hearings.

In the ten months that it took to get to that point, meanwhile, the husband allegedly left the Island three times for vacations with his girlfriend, purchased "a cellular phone'' and "expensive leather gifts'' and bought "a new computer''.

"Does this seem like a man who `cannot afford to pay' to support his children?'' the man's embittered former wife asked. "Clearly the law doesn't apply to him.'' Yesterday, Health and Social Services Minister the Hon. Harry Soares was off the Island, but the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Mr. Carl Musson, agreed that a better system of enforcement was necessary in the area of child support.

"We are reviewing a number of options to enhance the current enforcements,'' he said.

Neither he nor Shadow Minister Ms Renee Webb would explicitly endorse putting delinquent fathers on a stop list.

"In a lot of these cases,'' Mr. Musson said, "you've got to balance the rights of the individual against the rights of the women who want the support.

These are very delicate issues.'' Ms Webb added: "Obviously the enforcement isn't enough, but I think there should be other methods of recourse before a stop list is considered.'' Nonetheless, the Shadow Minister said, "there is a sense of urgency'' on the issue of deadbeat dads.

"Unfortunately,'' she added, "a number of women are in desperate situations.'' She said she planned to bring a motion to the House of Assembly on the enforcement isue.

Last year, some 35 percent of all court-ordered support payments went uncollected by the system.