Family court reform must be driven by child safety

Emily, a young woman I interviewed, ran away from home when she was sixteen, six years after the Family Court ordered her to live with her father who had been sexually abusing her since she was a small child.

She was not allowed to have any contact with her mother after the court deemed her mother’s allegations of violence and abuse were false and damaging to her daughter.

“I don’t know much about what happened in court, the hows and whys all went over my head. I was only 10 when I was told I wasn’t allowed to see my mum anymore and I had to stay with the man who called himself my dad.

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