CHILDREN RETURNED TO UK AGAINST THEIR EXPRESS WISHES
The recent high profile cases involving two separate twelve year old children being forced to return to the UK against their express wishes raises serious issues.
Both these children (Molly Campbell being returned from Pakistan, and Shaun Attard from Malta) expressed very clearly their desire to stay with their fathers and family. But, despite their wishes, the courts in Pakistan and Malta sent them back to the jurisdiction of the UK family courts.
Our concern is that the UK family courts will take no account of the wishes of these children once they are back in the UK. Despite the fact that twelve year old children are usually considered “Gillick Competent” (where they are capable of involvement in decisions concerning their welfare), our experience indicates their views will be almost entirely disregarded by our family courts.
How can anyone have confidence in a system where the judges and officials are accountable to no-one and all official documents and evidence will be given in total secrecy and away from any possibility of public scrutiny?
If foreign courts were aware of the potentially unsound nature of all decisions made by UK family courts, maybe they would not be so quick to return children to their jurisdiction against their wishes?
NOTE TO EDITORS
The Equal Parenting Alliance is a new UK political party, formed in 2006. We aim to promote a system of family justice in the UK that puts the needs and interests of children first. We will do this by standing for election and requiring other parties to have policies which will alleviate the current failure of family law to operate in the child’s interests.
The current family law system fails to protect children by allowing one parent to easily eliminate the other from a child’s life, if they wish. We believe this is fundamentally wrong and bad for children. Our family justice system should respect the right of children to normal parenting by their two parents over and above the rights or wishes of either of their parents.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Web: www.equalparentingalliance.com
Contact : Ray Barry 0790 550 2856
Email: media@equalparentingalliance.com
