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Stopping child contact - classed as domestic abuse?

 
    Last Post
 
 MikeBurry
(@mikeburry)
Eminent Member Registered

I would argue that stopping child contact is by far the worst form of domestic abuse against an ex partner. Fair enough if there are genuine safety concerns but when it is done for any other reason it is purley abuse against the other party. Not to mention the abuse against the child.

I bet any parent would rather take a few beatings off their ex than see their children taken off them.

It gives the parent with care a vast amount of control. When the other parent doesnt conform they can be easily punished via stopping contact. 

In my case i have a non molestation order against the ex to protect me from her abuse, but she can still dish out her control and punishment via my son (going through court atm). The pain is worse than anything physical. My son loves me, loves spending time with me. She has taken that from him and killed our relationship.

Any logical thinking person will conclude that using kids as weapons is abuse. Website after website classes it as abuse. Yet it continues to happen and i dont see anybody in power doing a thing about it.

Can we do anything about this? Do the courts even care? Does parliament care? It seems to happen time and time again but nothing changes.

Quote
Topic starter Posted : 19/08/2021 11:57 am
 DadMod4
(@dadmod4)
Illustrious Member

There seemed to be a shift a few years ago towards the courts starting to accept parental alienation, but I'm not sure that really continued. The problem seems to be that if the PWC denies access to the NRP against the court order, there seems to be no penalty for doing so.

ReplyQuote
Posted : 22/08/2021 11:28 am
 DadMod2
(@dadmod2)
Illustrious Member

hopefully change is in the air:

Domestic Abuse Act 2021 must retain parental alienation in Guidance Notes
 
Parental Alienation as part of the Domestic Abuse ACT 2021
 
The new Domestic Abuse Act 2021 is a landmark piece of legislation intended to protect all citizens throughout England.
 
Importantly the Act recognises children as victims in their own right and underlines just how critical it is to protect them from coercive control, irrespective of how that abuse manifests itself.
 
The Draft Guidance is issued under section 84 of the 2021 Act and has been designed to set standards and promote best practice, which is critical guidance for the Central Family Court and judgements linked to children matters.
 
It currently recognises this salient fact:
 
Parental Alienation is abusive to victim parents and their children.
This is a major step forward and we thank Ministers wholeheartedly for its enlightened inclusion.
 
There is, however, a concerted effort to remove it. Repeated media coverage in the Guardian and Channel 4 Dispatches which is designed to convince us all that it is ONLY used as a ‘tool for abusive fathers’ to revictimize abused mothers.
This is unequivocally false.
 
We work with thousands of alienated mothers, as well as fathers, who have suffered from false allegations and repeated pathogenic behaviours like these below, and lost their precious children as a result, post separation.
 
PA Behaviours
 
Many who campaign against parental alienation have shown their true colours by trolling genuine victims of the worst abuse imaginable. Even attacking abused mothers whom they profess to represent. We have many Twitter reports which confirm they represent ‘abuse, hate speech and harassment’. It has become so toxic, we have also filed police reports.
 
Do we really want to live in a society which corrupts and distorts the facts to the detriment of countless victims and create a life-time of trauma for their children?
We can evidence it and show you how children have literally paid for this falsehood with their lives.
 
In the meantime, read the following inclusions in the Guidance Notes and make your voice count, if you believe in justice for all.
 
Before doing so, here are genuine quotes from leaders in their field who KNOW with absolute certainty that Parental Alienation is real, that it seriously harms children and it must stop right now.
 
Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Guidance Notes
Section 57:
Ø ‘Intentional undermining of the victims role as a partner, spouse or parent’
Ø ‘using children to control their victim, for example, threatening to take the children away or manipulating professionals to increase the risk of children being prevented from having contact with the victim or having children’s social care involvement’
Ø ‘alienating behaviours, (footnote 26) including invidious drip feeding of negative views to a child by one parent about the other parent, or any attempt by one parent to frustrate or limit the child’s contact with the other parent, other than for reasons based on concern about the risk to that child’
Section 60: Emotional or Psychological Abuse
Ø ‘turning children and friends against the victim (which may have a subsequent impact on children) including falsely and without justification telling a child that the other parent abandoned them, never loved them, or never wanted them’
Ø ‘distorting a child’s memories about the victim parent, including telling a child the other parent will pick them up/meet them, when that was not true, falsely telling medical/school staff they have sole custody of a child so that no information is provided to the other parent, painting the other parent in a negative light to the child, including mocking their personality characteristics, job, friends, family and belittling them (including in front of the child)’
Section 78: Economic abuse
Ø ‘Deliberately forcing a victim to go to the family courts so they incur additional legal fees’
 
If you wish to see an end to this, it is essential our Government hears from every victim of parental alienation and every professionals working in law, mental health, social services, education and other agencies who witness this abuse on a regular basis.
Many have courageously spoken out about it.
 
Adults who were alienated as children and recount their life-long trauma. Family Lawyers who “see it on a daily basis”. Highly qualified child psychologists and psychiatrists. Former judges. You can hear them all on our YouTube channel at www.parentalalienationuk.info
 
Our aim is to ensure policy makers highlight this specific type of abuse to help victims self-identify and thus be more preventative in their approach. We cannot find urgent solutions until we first recognise it is a specific pattern of coercive control and psychological abuse. This will, by definition, save a great deal of trauma for children and their victim parents.
 
We urge you to thank the Committee for the positive accomplishments of the Domestic Abuse Act and their inclusion of parental alienation within the Guidance, before adding your lived / professional experience of it, citing examples from the list of abuse defined above.
 
Footnote 26:
Whilst there is no single definition of alienating behaviours (sometimes referred to as ’parental alienation’), the Children and Family Courts Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) defines parental alienation as when a child’s resistance or hostility towards one parent is not justified and is the result of psychological manipulation by the other parent.
 
ReplyQuote
Posted : 22/08/2021 5:49 pm
DadMod4 and DadMod4 reacted
 MikeBurry
(@mikeburry)
Eminent Member Registered

Great reply thanks for sharing. I was aware PA had been removed as an offence but wasnt aware of the guidance notes.

Do the family courts have to recognise what is in the guidance notes?

ReplyQuote
Topic starter Posted : 23/08/2021 3:18 pm
 DadMod2
(@dadmod2)
Illustrious Member

@mikeburry am not sure what will happen with the new bill, but Cafcass already have their policies and guidance on parental alienation. The former head referred to it as domestic abuse. in rare cases the courts order a change of residency when parental alienation has been proven, or for other serious welfare reasons. if you saw the recent channel 4 documentary, courts sent out police to mothers homes, to take the children and place them with their dad.

ReplyQuote
Posted : 23/08/2021 7:00 pm
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