A study involving 45 women who accused their partners of domestic abuse has revealed serious health problems they’ve suffered, attributing them to biased family court proceedings. The qualitative, self-reported study indicates the need for further research. Led by the University of Manchester researchers in partnership with SHERA Research Group and The Survivor Family Network, the study, funded by UKRI, focuses on the women and their 77 children.
The women reported psychological conditions such as suicide ideation, memory loss, depression, and flashbacks resulting from their court experiences. They also mentioned physical symptoms like Crohn’s Disease, cancer, psoriasis, heart palpitations, and miscarriage linked to the court proceedings. Some even shared stories of relatives experiencing heart attacks and suicide during the proceedings.
The study found that 43 out of 45 parents were given access to their children, with a few exceptions. However, 39 of the women who accused their partners of abuse were counter-accused of parental alienation (PA), which they argue was used to deny abuse and grant access to abusive parents.
PA, considered pseudoscientific and universally rejected, is seen as a way to manipulate children into turning against a parent. The study argues that courts tend to side with male perpetrators by accepting PA. Lack of training for judges, a culture of misogyny, and victim-blaming are cited as reasons for this bias.
While the study can’t be generalized, it highlights the structural disadvantage and societal misogyny faced by abused women in family court proceedings. Urgent research is needed to understand if these health impacts constitute a public health emergency.
Questions about the dysfunctional nature of family court proceedings were raised in the 2020 Harm Report by the Ministry of Justice. It acknowledged that PA is used by abusive fathers to deny abuse, even though statistics show that only 2-5% of domestic abuse claims are false.
The study’s findings illustrate the profound impact of court proceedings on the physical and mental health of abused women, shedding light on the urgent need for reform and further research in this area.
