They now say that 50% of marriages end in divorce, and the number keeps rising. So what happens to the children? They tend to take their father's last name, regardless of which parent they live with.

The majority of children with divorced parents live with the mother, for a variety of reasons. HOWEVER, if the mother wants to take the children abroad for a holiday, she has to seek written permission from the father to be allowed permission!

What happens if the mother doesn't have any contact with the father or he refuses to give permission? Why should the main carer of the child have to seek written permission from a secondary carer to take their child on holiday?!

My parents are divorced and we have this problem 90% of the time. So I have started this petition to raise awareness of this issue. There needs to be a sense of equality in this aspect of parenting.

Having the names of both parents (where known) on passports of under 18s would alleviate this problem and save a great deal of stress for many families.

I may not have chosen one of the world's 'big issues' but it's one that matters to me and a lot of other children and young people today.

Tweet at #passportparents to show support.