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THREAD: Powerful rebuttals from @arminkahelic, @SalBrinton, @natalieben, @baronessnewlove & Baroness Gardner against a concerning amendment to introduce 'parental alienation' into the definition of domestic abuse in the #DABill at Committee Stage today (1)
‘Parental alienation’ is increasingly used in the family courts, but there is a dearth of robust evidence or empirical studies to back up the concept or reliable data on its prevalence (2)
The World Health Organisation has recently dropped the concept from its index and classification. https://reseauiml.wordpress.com/2020/02/23/world-health-organization-removes-parental-alienation-from-its-classification-index/ (3)
But in the family courts, allegations of parental alienation – where one parent is accused of encouraging their child to resist contact with the other parent – can be taken more seriously than allegations of domestic abuse and other forms of harm. (4)
Research from @BarnettAdrienne shows clearly why we cannot consider the concept of parental alienation without understanding its impact on domestic abuse & child contact: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/parental-alienation-and-the-family-courts/ (5)
We are pleased that @SusanBaroness opposed this amendment – it is essential that the definition of domestic abuse does not include concepts without a robust evidential basis, that could cause further harm to survivors & their children (6)
Thank you to @VictimsComm @LDNVictimsComm @nicolejacobsST for raising concerns about this amendment & all the survivors who have bravely spoken out about their experiences of parental alienation today (7)
