I’ve been sitting on this for a while now, wondering whether to bring it up, concerned that it might open up a hostile debate around family court proceedings that, frankly, nobody needs.
I really hope that any unhelpful comments can be avoided. Here goes.....
Lawyers, could I ask that if you are contacted by a LiP needing advice about child contact arrangements and they are talking about #domesticabuse, that you do not:
a) sigh
b) eye roll
c) tell that person to use their common sense.
Here’s why:
The chances are that person will be scared, distressed, confused & struggling with navigating terrain not designed for lay people
It doesn’t matter if it’s a woman or man
Whether you believe there was #domesticabuse or not.
The reactions are demeaning,dismissive & not necessary
And yes, I do realise that most lawyers aren’t this tactless and this isn’t meant for you. This is really a request for someone who possibly doesn’t realise the impact they could have on someone.
Thank you 💜
PS. The reason for this thread is that I am aware of a Resolution solicitor whose attitude has been anything BUT non confrontational and constructive.
First and foremost, a climate where bullies are rewarded.
When they’re not held to account but rewarded with getting their own way because others are too scared to confront them, that is the perfect Petri dish for #coercivecontrol
Different rules for different people.
Making allowances for, or ignoring bullying/inappropriate/abusive behaviours of people we like or admire.
Holding them to a lower standard because they’re family, or a celebrity, or wealthy, or we benefit in some way from looking away.
I detest the term *parental alienation* with a passion and now I won’t use it.
It used to be called ‘Threat Therapy’.
A🧵
I’ve been told, frequently, that not all perpetrators are men, that mums get *alienated* too and that denying the existence of PA means denying that abusers DO and WILL maliciously sever a relationship between parent and child.
And yes, all of the above IS true.
But refusing to use that term is NOT the same as denying that this happens.
So, for avoidance of doubt, here is why I believe the term *parental alienation* should not be used:
Adolf Eichmann was aided by a Franciscan monk who helped him obtain an Argentine visa and who signed an application for a falsified Red Cross passport.
Eichmann masterminded the Nazi network of death camps that resulted in the murder of approximately 6 million Jews.
Josef Mengele fled to Argentina with the help of a Catholic clergy member.
Nicknamed the “Angel of Death” he conducted experiments at Auschwitz particularly on twins, pregnant women and the disabled. Mengele even tortured and killed children with his medical experiments.
“On one occasion, she said, male officers taped her phone to the ceiling, telling her: “We’re gonna watch your arse when you climb on the table.””
How a dead officer’s iPhone exposes misogyny, corruption and racism in a police force
🧵
Ricky Jones, a retired police officer knew where many of Gwent police’s skeletons were buried, but it wasn’t until his death that his own began to emerge.
In 2020, he jumped to his death from a bridge.
He left behind his wife and three daughters.
To the outside world Jones was a respected former copper and family man. But behind closed doors he subjected his family to decades of #domesticabuse.