A BARNSLEY MP hosted an event in Parliament to bring together a group to campaign to remove presumption of contact from law and put children at the centre of the family courts.
The legal principle currently allows known domestic abusive parents to have unsupervised contact with their children and has led to 48 child deaths.
Campaigner Claire Throssell, from Penistone, was joined her MP Marie Tidball, Dr Charlotte Proudman and Dr Adrienne Barnett from Right To Equality, as well as campaigners from Women’s Aid who have been working closely with Claire.
MPs attended from across different political parties to discuss with Claire and the organisations how they can raise the urgency of this issue in Parliament, and work together to change the law.
Marie and Claire both made speeches to the packed room, making clear that children must always be put first in family courts.
Ten years ago in Penistone, Claire’s children - Paul and Jack Sykes - were horrifically murdered by their abusive father who set their house on fire.
Whilst in the family courts, their mother repeatedly warned that their father had a history of domestic abuse and was a danger to the children’s lives.
However, presumption of contact meant he was granted unsupervised children of the boys.
Marie said: “We must put children at the centre of family courts.
“Family courts must protect children from harm from perpetrators, rather than ordering contact with them.
“Presumption of contact is facilitating known domestic abusers to emotionally, physically and sexually abuse, and horrifically murder children.
“Ten years ago, Claire promised her sons that no other children would die in the same tragic circumstances - I will not stop until Claire can keep her promise.”
The ‘Harm Report’, published in 2020, makes clear that presumption of contact is having ‘detrimental effects’ and that family courts’ pro-contact culture actively takes away from the children’s welfare and safety.
The government is currently reviewing the Harm Report, but no response has yet been published.
Claire added: “It was a privilege to be able to be involved in the Parliamentary drop-in session and it’s heartening to see how many MPs are engaging and getting involved around the issue of presumption of contact on behalf of their constituents.
“We know that 48 children have been murdered due to a domestically abusive parent in the past 20 years and in June, thanks to heartbreaking research by Women’s Aid, we will know how many have been murdered over 30 years.
“With Marie’s tireless efforts to repeal presumption in law I hope that after three decades of failing children will come to an end and under this government children will finally have safer, brighter futures free of harm and abuse.”
