Breaking the Silence: Children's Stories
Tatge-Lasseur Productions

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Learn how misguided judges take children away from the protective parent and put them in the care of the person the children have named as their abuser. See how abusive fathers use their children to control and punish the mothers, and how judges unwittingly help these abusive men use the court to perpetuate the abuse. Learn the truth about a discredited theory called Parental Alienation Syndrome, that judges, custody evaluators and law guardians invoke to deny that abuse is occurring, and learn about state laws that force judges to make decisions that put abused women and children at risk.

Fighting the "Hidden American Disgrace"
of Court Abused Children

     We, the Courageous Kids Network, are a growing group of young people, whose childhood was shattered by biased and inhumane court rulings, which forced us to live with our abusive parent, while restricting or sometimes completely eliminating contact with our loving and protective parent.

Some of us, whose mothers tried to protect us from abuse, did not see our mothers for years, or were only allowed to see our mothers under oppressive supervised visitation orders. We were not allowed to hug our mothers, or talk about how we felt. Some of us were separated from siblings, grandparents and extended family. We lost our home, pets, toys, friends, & our childhood. We lived in fear, depression, hopelessness and helplessness for years. Some of us ran away from our abusers. Some could not handle the trauma and committed suicide.

We who survived, got older and stronger. Now we are telling the world how much we were hurt, first by our abusers and then by the court that refused to protect us.

www.CourageousKids.net

Child Abuse Experts Applaud Legal Community for Rejecting 
Parental Alienation Syndrome

July 12, 2006   Bala Cynwyd, Pa. People who care about abused children finally have something to celebrate. Two recent high profile legal publications have rejected _ Parental Alienation Syndrome _ (PAS), a controversial label often used to discredit allegations of child abuse or domestic violence in family courts. According to PAS theory, children's disclosures of abuse by one parent are reinterpreted as evidence of _ brainwashing _ by the other parent. The solution proposed by PAS theory is to immediately award custody to the alleged child abuser. 

The newly revised, 2006 edition of "Navigating Custody and Visitation Evaluations in Cases with Domestic Violence: A Judge's Guide, _ published by The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, includes a strong statement condemning the use of PAS which it calls a _ discredited _ syndrome that favors child abusers in custody determinations. [see excerpt]

At the same time the Spring 2006 issue of the American Bar Association's Children's Legal Rights Journal provides a comprehensive analysis of all legal case involving allegations of PAS. This definitive review concludes that science, law, and policy all oppose the admissibility of PAS in the courtroom. [Download PDF of article].  

_ PAS is junk science at its worst, _ says Dr. Paul Fink, President of the Leadership Council on Child Abuse and Interpersonal Violence, and a former President of the American Psychiatric Association [see bio]. Dr. Fink explains, _ Science tells us that the most likely reason that a child becomes estranged from a parent is that parent's own behavior. Labels, such as PAS, serve to deflect attention away from those behaviors. _  

Judge Sol Gothard is glad to see that the legal community has joined other professionals in recognizing the harm that PAS can cause. Recently retired from Louisiana's 5th Circuit Court of Appeal, Judge Gothard has been involved in over 2000 cases of allegations of child sexual abuse. He states, _ PAS has caused emotional harm, physical harm and in some cases, even death to children. _ [read about Nathan's death; see also Jana Bommersbach. Parental Alienation. Phoenix Magazine, May 2006]

Joyanna Silberg, PhD, a Clinical Psychologist and Executive Vice President of the Council [see bio], has also seen first hand the long-term emotional damage this so-called syndrome has caused. _ How do you explain to young children forced to live with abusers why the courts have considered them liars and ignored their cries for help? _ Silberg has found that it can take years for these children to get past their feelings of betrayal by the system that was supposed to protect them. [see article about Tiffany; more children's stories]

Dr. Silberg views PAS allegations as part of a larger strategy in which abusive parents try to fool the courts, attorneys, child custody evaluators, and mental health professionals into believing that their children and ex-spouses are crazy when they raise concerns about safety. She notes the recent case of Darren Mack, accused of shooting his custody judge and stabbing his wife to death.  Mack successfully convinced a custody evaluator that he was a loving parent with no violent tendencies, notes Silberg.

Stephanie Dallam, MS, a researcher with the Leadership Council, has spent the last 10 years researching PAS [see bio]. She traces the syndrome to a controversial psychiatrist, Richard Gardner, who described sex between fathers and their offspring as normal and natural. In his voluminous self-published writings, Gardner blamed abused children's suffering on our society's _ overreaction _ to sexual abuse, notes Dallam. [more on Gardner's views on pedophilia]

Dr. Paul Fink concludes, "Children suffer when law embraces a 'syndrome' just because a so-called 'expert' coined a snappy phrase.  Increasingly, courts are seeing through the PAS charade and refusing to allow the courtroom to be used as theater for the promotion of junk science."

[excerpt]LETTING DOWN THEIR GUARD: WHAT GUARDIANS AD LITEM SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN CHILD CUSTODY DISPUTES

In my first meeting with the guardian ad litem, I had told him that there was a significant history of domestic violence, [that] my ex-partner had been to [a batterer _ s intervention program] and that I was disabled as a result of the abuse, and he told me. _ No one cares about that abuse crap. _ 

Introduction

Lorie suffered years of severe violence at the hands of her husband, Noah.1 He pulled out her hair, slapped her, tore her clothing, and threatened her life.2 He hit her in the face with his head so hard that he [*PG284]broke her tooth.3 Lorie and Noah _ s children lived with the ongoing abuse and often witnessed the violence.4 During one incident, Lorie was holding their baby in her arms when Noah picked up a butcher knife.5 _ Put the kid down, _ he said, _ I _ m going to kill you now. _ 6

When litigation began over custody of their children, Lorie was prepared with evidence of the abuse, including dental records documenting her broken tooth and written statements of observers who witnessed the abuse and her injuries.7 The guardian ad litem appointed to her case, however, refused to look at any of the documentation she offered.8 Furthermore, during the investigation he said to Lorie, _ I know you lied to me [about the abuse]. You better tell the truth now, because I _ m getting phone calls from people and they can tell me the truth. _ 9

Ignoring the trauma of the abuse Lorie suffered, the guardian ad litem _ s report to the judge described Lorie as _ irrationally angry _ and _ overly emotional, _ citing her tendency to burst into tears.10 The guardian ad litem also discredited Lorie _ s reports of domestic violence to the court, despite his own acknowledgement that he found Noah to be controlling, domineering, and dishonest.11 The court ultimately granted Noah full custody of the children.12 The judge never saw Lorie _ s extensive documentation, and thus could not consider the impact of Noah _ s abusive behavior on the children.13  Complete Journal >>> http://www.bc.edu/schools/law/lawreviews/meta-elements/journals/bctwj/24_2/02_FMS.htm

LEADERSHIP COUNCIL What's New

Radio Interview: Oct 09, 2006 - - Retired Judge Sol Gothard and nationally renowned attorney Richard Ducote talk with Lisa about custody law and policy  involving protective parents, child abuse, the    Leadership Council, and more.

Gothard-Ducote.wma (PATIENCE: THIS NONSTREAMING FILE MAY TAKE A LONG TIME TO LOAD

Scholarly Articles and Reviews

Articles Addressing Domestic Violence and Abuse Allegations in Custody and Visitation Disputes

Scientific Studies Examining the Veracity of Sex Abuse Allegations in Child Custody Disputes - Are they more likely to be false?

Are Protective Parents Losing Custody to Alleged Abusers? Evidence shows that women who raise concerns about family violence during custody litigation run the risk of losing their children

Research Indicating that the Majority of "High Conflict" Contested Custody Cases Involve a History of Domestic Violence.

Using a Child Custody Dispute to Discredit Sex Abuse Allegations. Several sex offenders in treatment describe how they used a child custody dispute to prevent or discredit abuse allegations.

Custody Myths - Too often custody decisions are based on myth, misinterpretation of facts, and evaluator bias. This article provides an overview of some of the erroneous beliefs that contribute to the problem of children not being protected from abuse in family court.

Common Misconceptions in Addressing Domestic Violence in Child Custody Disputes - outlines seven misconceptions with respect to domestic violence and child custody that represent barriers to safety and accountability of women and children exposed to domestic violence.