Everyone’s heard of the vengeful ex-wife who accuses her ex-husband of child abuse just to get back at him during a divorce. There’s even a scientific-sounding term for it: parental alienation. But is parental alienation real? And are judges taking allegations of abuse seriously enough? In this rebroadcast of one of our earliest shows, we speak to Prof. Joan Meier from George Washington University Law School who has some frankly startling data on the subject. How does alleging abuse affect custody decisions? Is there scientific proof that alienation exists? And what can we do to persuade the courts to do a better job of investigating abuse?

Topics in this episode:

• Realizing children aren’t being protected (1:30)
• Junk science: parental alienation syndrome (2:47)
• The myth of the vengeful ex-wife (7:57)
• Women are not considered as credible as men (13:15)
• Effects on custody decisions (20:54)
• What should the courts be doing? (23:54)
• Reaction by judges (29:52)
• Advice for child abuse professionals (32:54)
• For more information (36:20)

Links:

This episode originally aired on January 5, 2020 

Joan S. Meier, professor of clinical law and director of the National Family Violence Law Center at the  George Washington University Law School

The study referred to in this episode, “Child Custody Outcomes in Cases Involving Parental Alienation and Abuse Allegations,” and other research by Professor Meier are available on the law school’s website

“‘A gendered trap’: When mothers allege child abuse by fathers, the others often lose custody, study shows,” is a Washington Post article about the study.

Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project (DV LEAP) provides pro bono appellate representation in compelling domestic violence cases and trains attorneys and courts around the country

DV LEAP’s Legal Resource Library include briefs and court opinions, training materials, publications, links to domestic violence organizations, case digests, and custody resources

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at One in Ten podcast. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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