The investigation recommends reforming the nation’s family court system, where some advocacy groups have made headway. Reps. Ted Poe (R-TX) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), for example, have introduced a resolution to recognize that “child safety is the first priority in custody and visitation adjudications.” photo: Shutterstock
A report from the investigative news organization 100Reporters throws light on complaints of a parent sexually or physically abusing a child being routinely rejected at family courts around the country.
Content note: This article contains a graphic description of child sexual assault.
Karen Gill is undergoing a long, arduous battle to protect her son after a Tennessee court six years ago affirmed a family court ruling to give Darryl Sawyer custody of their 6-and-a-half-year-old son, despite evidence presented by his ex-wife that he had allegedly sexually abused little Daniel.
Three years earlier, a pediatrician had confirmed Gill’s worst fears that the reddish blue bruises on the child’s buttocks after a visit with his father occurred from an adult “holding his buttocks forcibly open.” [Read Full Article]
