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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that courts shouldn't give domestic abusers access to children?

82 replies

Yuui · 15/08/2021 19:12

I entirely understand that this is the AIBU section so I might get flamed, but this topic really does bother me.

I know more than one person whose partner seriously physically or sexually abused them and still got given access to their kids. Personally, I just can't see how this is a good idea? I mean, an adult who is happy to beat/rape/ ..etc [insert awful thing here] probably is going to be an unsafe influence on a child, unless there are some incredibly strong mitigating factors. What do the rest of you think about this matter?

OP posts:
Thisnamewasnttaken123 · 15/08/2021 19:47

I agree with you OP you can't be a violent abuser and be a good parent.
The two don't go together.

Theoldprospector · 15/08/2021 19:47

GardeningGirl, children don’t have a right to a relationship with a parent. Why would you think that was the case?

SnoreyDog · 15/08/2021 19:46

I'm all for this. 16 years of witnessing domestic abuse towards my mother on a daily basis, treading on eggshells and generally being terrified every day has harmed me. The damage caused by experiencing and even just witnessing the behaviour of an abuser is huge. I'm now spending a fortune on therapy and have been doing for years, it has affected my mental health, relationships and my perspective on life and does so every single day. I wish that someone had known and cared enough for me and my siblings to have been taken away from him.

Peppapigforlife · 15/08/2021 19:44

@gardeninggirl68 you do realise you're on a website created for mother's issues. İssues we, as mothers, relate to. Therefore the common denominator in most conversations will be mothers. The clue is in the title. İf you want to vary up your language to fit your personal experiences, that's your personal choice, but İ have every right to relate to my female and mothering experiences with descriptions of female experiences.

drpet49 · 15/08/2021 19:44

* Abusers don’t want a relationship with their kids, they want a conduit to continue abusing their mother.*

^I agree

beigebrownblue · 15/08/2021 19:44

@Peppapigforlife

İ think the ss saying that it's about the child not the parent is just an abusive statement in itself. And as if the mother's feelings don't affect their child in any way. So blind to think that an abusive person is only abusive to the woman and would be an angel to those angelic children and almost somewhat placing blame on the woman for the man being abusive. But İ think there are a lot of abusive set ups within social services anyway, which feel very Victorian in their thinking.
I agree, have experienced it myself and the Family Court is badly in need of reform.
Yuui · 15/08/2021 19:43

I guess I don't really get it; I mean surely a child's physical and emotional safety is more important than having a particular person in their life?

If the other parent is a good parent then obviously it is in the child's best interest to see them. But, if the other parent's behaviour is so bad that SS would remove the child if they were in their sole care, then maybe they aren't a safe influence?

I know of someone whose ex committed incest on closely related children and still thinks he should see his child who he has had minimal contact with him. I guess I just think that that gives such a person the perfect opportunity to groom a child, because even if the meeting is supervised, seeing and spending time with such a person gives a child the idea that people who behave like that are 'safe', as otherwise wouldn't they be kept away?

OP posts:
ScreamingBeans · 15/08/2021 19:43

your very victorian in your thinking also......using the words woman and mother.....plenty of men out there with residency

Nowhere near as many as women. Only 10% of lone parents with care and control are men.

And over 90% of abusers are men.

ScreamingBeans · 15/08/2021 19:42

You are and you aren't.

Domestic abusers are bad parents full stop. You cannot be a good parent and abuse the mother or father of your child. It is emotional abuse to the child, to abuse their parent.

I do think there should be extremely limited supervised access in a place where the abuser is not enabled to emotionally abuse his children (and it is usually his) by slagging off their mother, being in charge of them etc.

That way he doesn't become some kind of hero figure.

Also most men will not continue to see their children in these conditions, if they can't control the access, they don't want it. They hate their children's mothers far more than they love thier kids.

Fdksyihfd · 15/08/2021 19:36

Not sure why today is in there Hmm

Fdksyihfd · 15/08/2021 19:36

What I feel is always forgotten here is that for the vast majority of these children they have been exposed to the domestic abuse (been in the room, heard it from their beds, seen the fear in their mum, tried to protect her etc) so they have been traumatised today and experienced emotional abuse and then it’s said that they have to see their dad who is responsible for that and don’t consider that at all as if it’s all about the mum and dad and has no impact on them.

Peppapigforlife · 15/08/2021 19:36

A friend of mine had the courts rule in favour of full custody to the abusive dad after he refused to bring the child back after his weekend contact and then created lies about her mental health with zero proof. This was even though she had police statements about him beating her black and blue when they were together with the child.

GetTaeFuck · 15/08/2021 19:35

YADNBU.

An abuser can never be a good parent.

Every instance I’ve seen, they use the children to continue inflicting whatever terror and control over their Ex’s, and see the children as nothing more than a tool to do that.

gardeninggirl68 · 15/08/2021 19:33

@Peppapigforlife

İ think the ss saying that it's about the child not the parent is just an abusive statement in itself. And as if the mother's feelings don't affect their child in any way. So blind to think that an abusive person is only abusive to the woman and would be an angel to those angelic children and almost somewhat placing blame on the woman for the man being abusive. But İ think there are a lot of abusive set ups within social services anyway, which feel very Victorian in their thinking.
your very victorian in your thinking also......using the words woman and mother.....plenty of men out there with residency
Peppapigforlife · 15/08/2021 19:33

@PumpkinKlNG that is really really strange. I've known people who have been threatened by ss that if they had any contact with their violent ex they would have their child taken away.

Peppapigforlife · 15/08/2021 19:32

I was responding to the comment about the experience with the ss.

PumpkinKlNG · 15/08/2021 19:32

I complained about the social worker, my ex is absent and she told me to contact him and ask him to see the children as apparently it’s “in their best interest” when I said well he was violent to me she said it wasn’t about me it was about them and again it’s “in their best interest to have a relationship with their father and asked me if I ever thought about emailing him” I phoned to complain after that as I found it quite bizarre that she was recommending I contact their absent violent father

gardeninggirl68 · 15/08/2021 19:31

its not social services.....its the courts, as per the children act

Peppapigforlife · 15/08/2021 19:30

İ think the ss saying that it's about the child not the parent is just an abusive statement in itself. And as if the mother's feelings don't affect their child in any way. So blind to think that an abusive person is only abusive to the woman and would be an angel to those angelic children and almost somewhat placing blame on the woman for the man being abusive. But İ think there are a lot of abusive set ups within social services anyway, which feel very Victorian in their thinking.

coodawoodashooda · 15/08/2021 19:25

This. Excellent response. Exactly this.

Thelnebriati · 15/08/2021 19:25

Its not about the rights of the child. Its ideological.

PumpkinKlNG · 15/08/2021 19:25

None of it is supervised with the parents I know

gardeninggirl68 · 15/08/2021 19:24

children will naturally be curious about the other parent, despite what they are told

one day they will look them up on facebook and that will be that. far better to let them have a safe, supervised contact so they de-mystify the abusive parent.

Theunamedcat · 15/08/2021 19:24

Kids are the victims they should be protected but courts have this fixation that children have the right to see both parents social services find my ex husband quite damaging and emotionally abusive however its "low level" and doesn't meet threshold his behaviour includes detailing violent and aggressive acts making his child feel unsafe telling him vile things about me making up stories and forcing him to agree with statements such as your mom hurts you your mom stops you coming your mom won't let you see my current girlfriend (children services said no to her she literally lost all her children due to being a violent alcoholic but she is a "great mum" according to him) and just general divisive rhetoric

PumpkinKlNG · 15/08/2021 19:21

I know quite a few people that still see their kids despite DV, I was told off ss that my kids dad should see them despite being violent to me because “it was about the children not me”

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