Government's system of pursuing fathers who are delinquent in child support payments is still failing, members at the monthly meeting of the Parent Resource Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE) have been told.

"Courts do not protect single mothers,'' said Ms Joyce Eve, mother of three.

"Everything is for the man. If it wasn't for perseverance, I wouldn't have anything. People see you and think because you're a single parent, you shouldn't be anything and your children are even less.'' Ms Eve, 43, was divorced from her husband nine years ago but has been a single mother for the past 16 years.

Her tale is similar to that of Ms Kathy Dell Simmons, a divorcee who has been both mother and father to her 14-year-old daughter for 121 years.

"I've learned that sometimes things happen for a reason and this has made me stronger,'' the 34-year-old said. "I had to learn to love myself. Without me feeling good about me, my child wouldn't.

"I don't depend on anybody else to boost me,'' Ms Simmons said. "I've learned to survive off support from family and friends.'' Similar complaints to those voiced by the two women on PRIDE's single parents panel were heard only last year when a spokesperson for the newly-formed Single Parents In Action noted that several members are owed an average of $3,000 each from their children's fathers.

Results of the 1991 Census show that the number of women heading homes has increased by 43 percent. In 1980, 5,324 households were headed by females, but by 1991 this figure had risen to 7,621.

In Magistrates' Court recently, a 34-year-old charged with stealing, forging and uttering cheques and obtaining cash and food through false pretences, admitted he owed as much as $21,000 in child support.

"I've learned not to depend on the court for getting money on time,'' said Ms Eve. "It's a nightmare just trying to get financing for your child. They awarded me $30 for each child and $100 in arrears -- that can't do anything for three children.

"I felt completely humiliated and that I was being treated very unfairly. Men pay you any amount. They feel if you're working, you're making enough money and can support children on your own.'' Ms Eve said her former husband took up residence in the United States and had been able to travel back and forth to Bermuda without being stopped for non-payment of child support.

And Ms Simmons said she was forced to live with her parents for 12 years before she and her daughter could move out on their own.

"I've learned how to survive but I couldn't without the help of God,'' said Ms Simmons. "I can't relate to (the support groups) Single Parents In Action and Parents, because I've never participated in them. I've learned to survive off support from friends and family members.'' Ms Eve said daily prejudice is one of her biggest obstacles.

"As soon as people see you're a single parent, they're labelling you right out,'' she said. "A lot of people feel, `well nobody told her to have these children', but the person could be a widow, divorced or never married. I didn't think I'd be a single parent either, but I am.'' Ms Eve said she does not belong to any of the local support groups either, but feels she could offer a lot in the way of advice.

"I'm talking from experience,'' she said, "not from what somebody told me. I give all honour and glory to God, he's made me a stronger person and has provided for me and my children.''