A victim of a coercively controlling, narcissistic ex has an uphill battle when entering the family court. The narcissist has an arsenal of powerful weapons. They can render their victim into a hopeless and traumatising situation.
Read moreThe Domestic Abuse Victim's Nightmare Continues In The Perilous Family Courts
Many domestic abuse victims who flee dangerous relationships will end up in the civil family courts. Whilst criminal law in the UK has advanced in recent years, and made coercive control a crime, family law remains in the dark ages. Perpetrators use the family courts to continue their cycle of abuse, and the outdated system enables it.
Read moreScotland Leads The Way: Parental Alienation Plot Foiled
Scotland is currently in the process of ground-breaking family justice modernisation. Yesterday, Minister Ash Denham passed the Children (Scotland) Bill with a unanimous vote. The government listened to charities, and survivors of domestic abuse and their children, and they are making radical reforms to help protect the vulnerable and to make the family justice system a fairer, kinder and safer world to enter. Ministers from all parties worked together with their focus firmly set on the best interests and welfare of the child; something survivors have desperately sought from those working in the family court system.
Read moreUK Family Courts Exploit Trauma To Remove Children From Safe Homes
In the American family courts, conflict is monetized and parental alienation (PA) is big business; it gets pitted against domestic abuse (DA) to make money for unregulated experts, mediators, lawyers, and other services through a referral system. Children are being killed by abusive parents and those in power routinely turn a blind eye to harrowing story after story of children’s tragic deaths.
Read moreThe Children (Scotland) Bill: Welfare Reporters & Shared Parenting
Liam McArthur MSP has proposed well-intentioned amendments to the Children (Scotland) Bill for the debate timetabled for the 25th August. His amendments are concerning shared parenting and child welfare reporters in particular. The amendments sound reasonable, at first, but let me explain why they would, in fact, be harmful to victims of abuse, particularly mothers and children.
Read more#TheCourtSaid, "The Welfare Of The Child Is The Paramount Consideration."
I recently joined forces with The Court Said, the campaign for survivor family justice. I joined because Scotland's system faces similar problems to the justice systems in England & Wales, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other particular countries. The courts in these countries harm vulnerable victims of abuse. I will strive to continue the excellent work of my Scottish #thecoursaid campaigners and hope that together we can make a positive impact; not just for the victims of abuse currently in the system, but for those who enter the system in the future.
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