Alienated Children First welcomed the invitation by the Department of Justice to make a written submission to the Open Consultation on Parental Alienation
The submission was made on Friday 24th June 2022 and the full document can be viewed here.
Minister Helen McEntee announced the consultation by the Department of Justice and submission details were posted here.
The introduction to the ACF submission reads as follows:
“ACF helps parents and child victims of parental alienation through lobbying on their behalf and producing and promoting support materials for child care, legal, health, education and other professionals and families to assist with awareness to tackle this form of child abuse and intimate partner violence.
Our objectives are that the policy, principles and supports will be put in place to address this form of child and abuse and give it the importance it requires and that the victims deserve.
Professionals and policy makers need to be properly informed and qualified to recognize and deal with this form of abuse and to support the courts in ensuring the genuine and unmanipulated ‘voice of the child’ and true best interests of the child should be central to all family law proceedings and related matters, including policy and procedures of statutory bodies and NGOs.
The children of Ireland deserve their rights be protected to the best of our abilities. The European Court of Human Rights has reminded states of their “positive obligations” to protect rights in cases of parental alienation. The jurisprudence of the ECtHR in incorporated in Irish Law under the European Convention of Human Rights Act 2003 and particular attention of the Department is drawn to ss 3 and 4 of said Act:
3.—(1) Subject to any statutory provision (other than this Act) or rule of law, every organ of the State shall perform its functions in a manner compatible with the State’s obligations under the Convention provisions.
4.—Judicial notice shall be taken of the Convention provisions and of (a) any declaration, decision, advisory opinion or judgment of the European Court of Human Rights established under the Convention on any question in respect of which that Court has jurisdiction…
This submission asks that we take this opportunity to protect children’s welfare and rights and focuses particularly on how to address the plight of child and parent victims of parental alienation.”
JUNE 2022