Archive for the ‘domestic violence’ Category
The Family Court Could Save Lives
Asia (from left), Jarius and Grace Osborne with their grandmother. The family wants the children returned to the Waikato for burial. (source: nz herald)
A recent tragedy in Melbourne could have been avoided, but victims of family violence know that they cannot be protected by the courts. Only a tiny fraction of family violence victims were given the grace to go into hiding and provide a stable upbringing for their children.
“My heart breaks because . . . he had tried to commit suicide with an overdose of tablets (six months ago). Weren’t they concerned about the welfare of the three children if the father was doing that?”
“I was threatened from him. He had threatened me when I moved to Australia that if I was to take the children back to New Zealand – he took their passports, everything away from me,”
In some cases, emergency court proceedings have been made to protect children and others have been made to pursue children when the parent has absconded with the child. When this mother raised this with the police six months ago, an emergency order could have been made.