Momsand Dads (M-A-D) is an independent journalism, watchdog and whistleblower group exposing child abuse cover-ups, corruption and profit over protection of children. Moms and Dads engaged in oversight of public and private institutions is our civic duty and responsibility for the safety of our children.
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by Naomi Cahn, Senior Contributor
Forbes.com Emma (name and identifying details changed) was married to a man in the military for many years. During that time, he repeatedly abused her and their children. She reported the abuse to the police and to the military. When she went to court, she had recordings of her husband’s threats against her. But a court decided to award custody of their children to the father. Why? The father claimed parental alienation, that Emma was alienating the children from their father by false claims that he was abusing them. The term “parental alienation” comes from the work of child psychiatrist Richard Gardner in the 1980s to explain what he saw as a shocking number of child sexual abuse allegations in custody litigation. Gardner claimed that many of these abuse allegations were fabricated by vengeful or pathological mothers. But his theory has been subjected to strong criticism, such as that from Jeffrey Edleson, former director of the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse and professor and director of research at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work, who said in 2009 that, “PAS is essentially composed of unsubstantiated claims; there’s no science behind it.” Nonetheless, it survives in a gender-neutral form as parental alienation. But, that too has been discredited, and as the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, explains, it “also diverts attention away from the behaviors of the abusive parent.” READ MORE... Comments are closed.
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AuthorM-A-D is an independent journalism, watchdog and whistleblower group that conducts investigative and undercover reporting on child abuse cover-ups - with an emphasis on the largest for profit child abuse and trafficking operation - the Family Court and associated private and public institutions. Categories |