How Children are Treated by States in the EU: Cause for Concern.

The notorious case of the 'Hampstead Children', of which you may be familiar (if not search 'Hampstead' on this blog or elsewhere) drew attention to what appears to be a continuing refusal by the British State to countenance some allegations of criminal activity with children and a failure of both police investigation and Family Court proceedings. The way this case was handled by the authorities and media, could only give rise to deep misgivings about child abuse and whether, for whatever reason, government continues to cover it up.

However the case also illustrated the extraordinary powers the State may exercise in such instances and raises the question as to whether the welfare of the children, for whom the whole system purports to exist, are best served by it. Almost uniquely in Europe, the British Family Court traditionally worked in total secrecy, and protected its decisions with draconian powers of imprisonment for anyone - including parents and children! - that breached the secrecy rules. 

Nor did the normal legal appeal routes protect those involved if the Hampstead case is anything to go by, where efforts to appeal were summarily dismissed despite widespread unrest with the judgements made and the manner in which they were arrived at. It is a sobering thought that the children involved were forced to have regular (unsupervised?) contact with the very individuals they had made serious, credible allegations against, and indeed though only 8 and 9 at the time, removed from their loving mother and grandparents and forced into a form of non-consensual incarceration with a series of foster parents and providers. 

No word appears to have escaped to the outside world regarding their state of mind or general welfare as far as we can tell. They have disappeared into a very black hole and we can only hope they have been protected and genuinely nurtured in the absence of their blood family. This however cannot explain or excuse how they have been treated and particularly in the way in which mother and maternal grandparents have been denied access. Even adult prisoners are not treated in this way, let alone small children.

Of course this was only one of many disturbing cases where children are removed against the wishes of one or more parents, and very bad decisions are taken by judges that can in the extreme endanger the very life of the child. Only recently the shocking case of Ellie Butler has been widely and belatedly reported. (See: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jun/21/ben-butler-found-guilty-of-murdering-six-year-old-daughter-ellie) In this case the child was removed from the maternal grandfather and placed with her natural father despite a history of violence and specific warnings the child would be mistreated. She was of course, subsequently brutally murdered!

It would appear that frequently, as in the Hampstead case, the accused are not challenged but the innocent parties, including those that seek to bring the injustice to light, are pursued and even prosecuted by officialdom for much lesser alleged crimes. There is little doubt that government is not only terrified by the reputational damage of such cases but has used every device to obfuscate and cover up past cases, that have reached up to the highest levels of society.

The way the state has facilitated the mistreatment of children and families in the past is not a subject it wants to advertise. Currently there are at least 70,000 children are 'in care'. About a quarter of the prison population at any time was previously 'in care'. With other statistics, it proves that state care of children has not been a huge success. Whether a majority would have done better or worse without intervention, is an open question. Sadly it has to be admitted that too many children are born to inadequate parents or find themselves in chaotic and/or dangerous domestic environments which raises much wider social and educational questions.

Nor should we overlook the fact that children in care have become an increasingly financial commodity which is seldom discussed. Every child taken into state 'care' is obviously a 'cost' to it but conversely an 'income' for private sector providers. We know this Conservative government has been committed to privatising everything it can which provided cash to the companies and individuals that run them. It does not take much common sense to see how this would provide an incentive to maximise the number of children taken into care, particularly if there was any pecuniary interest to those making the critical decisions. There is a similar and parallel concern in relation to the prison system of course. Even the National Health System paying out about £15 billion for just drugs, makes you question where the motivation actually lies.

So to conclude, efforts have been made in Europe to draw attention to the weaknesses in the British system with a view to standardisation and transparency. Of course post BREXIT there is a question whether this will bear fruit. The Family Court itself has attempted to reform itself. Sadly if nothing else, the Hampstead and other recent cases has proved how badly it can get it wrong and how much further it has to go.


Exactly a year ago (Facebook has thoughtfully reminded me) I posted the following challenge regarding the Hampstead children. Unsurprisingly, as far as I am aware, none of the public figures mentioned, took it up and the year has passed with vitually no information on the children's welfare or status. A complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission on the adequacy of the police investigation, in general terms, agreed it had been inadequate, yet no reinvestigation has been ordered. Clearly the authorities want this to be an 'open and shut case', with the welfare of the children trailing somewhere far behind.

Tim Veater

June 28, 2015 · 

There is a BIG difference between being encouraged to speak and being coached to speak. How can that excuse for a judge claim these children were ‘coaxed’ to say the things they did by the mother and step-father ‘torturing’ them? If so she must presumably conclude the police ‘tortured’ them too, as they reported identical things to them.

Were it not for the videos of the children speaking plainly and truthfully about what they experienced and what was done to them by sadistic pleasure seekers, immune to the suffering of their own children, this case would have long since been buried, and quite possibly the children with them, if not literally, metaphorically, in the now notorious British ‘care system’.

Instead very bravely, the children have stated their own irresistible case. I defy anyone with a grain of humanity or justice in their system, not to be moved or convinced by it. It is an acid test of anybody’s humanity. 

Such is the veracity of those accounts, it has become a litmus test of anyone who views them and takes a position. Also Judge Pauffley and the system of which she is the disreputable representative, is condemned by it.

I challenge:
* ‘Prime Minister’ David Cameron;
* ‘Justice’ Minister’ Michael Gove;
* ‘Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales’ Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd;
* ‘Master of the Rolls’, the Rt. Hon. Lord Dyson;
* ‘President of the Family Division, and Head of Family Justice’, Sir James Munby;
* the ‘Archbishop of Canterbury’, Justin Welby;
* the ‘Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police’, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe;
* the ‘Chief Executive of the LB of Barnett’, Mr Andrew Travers;
* all ‘Editors’ of British newspapers and television news channels; and
* anyone else who plays a part, however small, in this matter;

to view those video recordings and not be moved and convinced as to their truthfulness in equal measure, and by extension the travesty of justice that Pauffley’s judgement represents.

BEFORE GOD AND THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, I challenge you to ensure, even belatedly, that the children are rescued from the clutches of their irresponsible father and abusive ‘friends’, and to return them to a safe and caring place with their mother’s family.

If not, the total hypocrisy and corruption of the English legal and child care system will be exposed in all its gory awfulness. Please let us never hear the ‘old chestnuts’ that ‘this was historic abuse’ or that you were not fully informed of the evil in our midst: the failure to believe and protect two vulnerable but very brave children, betrayed by the very people charged with the duty to do so.

Reblogged from here: https://mckenzie-friends.co.uk/2016/06/27/coe-beyond-brexit-monitoring-the-implementation-of-eu-resolution-20162575rsp-to-safeguard-the-best-interests-of-children-across-the-eu/#more-1504

@coe Beyond #Brexit: monitoring the implementation of #EU Resolution 2016/2575(RSP) to Safeguard the Best Interests of Children across the @EU

Posted on June 27, 2016by Sabine Kurjo McNeill

Sehr geehrter Herr Präsident, dear Political Group Leaders,

In the wake of the UK Referendum and its repercussions, this is to request you to take into account the implementation of EU Resolution 2016/2575(RSP) on Safeguarding the Best Interests of the Childacross the EU on the Basis of Petitions addressed to the EU Parliament. UK and non-UK parents and children deeply require our support for their future. In the UK, 23% of the prison population were in ‘care’, but official statistics show trends of ‘forced removals’ and ‘forced adoptions’ rising consistently since 1994: http://chn.ge/28VXiEz

For a number of reasons, the UK has been worst in offending the UN Convention of Child Rights and we therefore had to ‘go to Europe’ – with 30 parents hoping to get their children returned – relying on EU Directives, after the UK Judiciary, Parliament and Government had failed us badly.

International Reports with recommendations by the UN and the Council of Europe have had no effect, but the Fact-Finding visit of MEPs and other PETI activities have – yet only as a small beginning! As further encouraging signs, involvements by Tatjana Zdanoka MEP and Yana Toom MEP in individual cases resulted in success in England and Scotland by having children returned which is, however, extremely rare.

The Infringement Notice of EU Directive 2011/92 on “combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography” was never published – “to preserve the trust between the EU Commission and the UK Government”, I was told.

Since presenting our petition to Abolish Adoptions without Parental Consent to the Committee in March 2014, PETI has made excellent progress with the Resolution and a Plenary Debate. Can you therefore please ensure measures of EXTERNAL monitoring of the implementation after the UK leaves?

To paint a picture of the scale and scope of the problem:

1. Children Not for Sale – the Black Hole in our Culture:
   • this event was hosted by Kostadinka Kuneva MEP [EL, GUE/NGL] and Takis Hadjigeorgiou MEP [CY, GUE/NGL] on Referendum Day;
   • the full spectrum of child abuse was presented admirably by Policy Assistant Zoi Sakelliadou to the EU Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinator Dr. Myria Vassilliadou from the Commission;
   • it was supported by two panels of speakers which included myself as
     • Petitioner of Systemic Patterns of Child Snatching and Forced Adoptions in the UK and web publisher;
     • Persecuted whistleblower of the cover-up of crimes that two whistleblower kidsexposed about their UK father, after assisting their Russian mother to get her children returned and safeguard 70+ child victims at risk.

2. Discrepancies between EU Directive 2011/92 and UK Family Court Law:
   • this is the report I handed to VP Frans Timmermans which describes the secrecyof UK Family Courts at the root of all violations of Human and Children’s Rights;
   • we were promised a response by the Commission, but never received it;
   • secrecy in Family Courts is used to legitimise not only the Forced Adoption of children, but also the imprisonment and ‘reporting restriction orders’ of parents and public interest whistleblowers like myself. See http://bit.ly/1IYuj0Z andhttp://bit.ly/1F5d8cx

3. Stop Forced Removals of Children by Social Services across Europe is our latest submission to PETI and tackles the first illegitimate step:
   • Thousands of children forcibly taken into care – as broadcast by BBC;
   • one child every 20 minutes – as reported by Channel IV in their film 15,000 Kids and counting;
   • I heard the then Minister talk about exporting the UK model which is distinctly AGAINST their best interests:
     1. at least 70,000 children are now ‘looked after’ in the UK;
     2. 50,000 in Germany;
     3. 30,000 in Sweden and
     4. 46,000 in Norway.

• Since data from less than half of the local authorities (152 of 326) in the UK is being used in the official governmental statistics, UK figures must be much worse.

Do we want to be responsible for allowing institutions to turn innocent children into young adults without vision, perspective and purpose in life, while adopted children will forever be looking for their roots? The group of 40 Swedish lawyers who submitted their petition to reach out on behalf of parents whose children are taken from them, estimate that maybe 10% of their cases are justified. Will you please come to the rescue of the 90%?

Judicial co-operation in civil and commercial matters is as critical as child protection and children’s rights, as national ‘competencies’ have been replaced by INCOMPETENCE and CORRUPTION:

• Special Chambers in Civil Courts would be different from a secret family division and an even worse Court of ‘Protection’;
• Ethics and Justice Panels for Public Accountability comprising MEPs, MPs, Local Councillors and affected Citizens were among our hopes for change.

To go back into splendid isolation without external scrutiny will perpetuate the need for Inquiries that don’t stop or reverse current trends:

1. Children Placed in Foster Care was our submission to the UK Parliament;
   • It never received a response except “the government wants to help keep families together”;
   • Social Services confirmed the opposite to MEPs in London: their operations are financed as POLICY.

2. The National Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups took place in 2012:
   • The Secretary of State of Education delivered his speech The failure of child protection and the need for a fresh start on 16 November 2012, yet did not curb any trend;
   • The submission Satanist Ritual Abuse of Children with its recommendation of an“urgent reconsideration of legal, court and Police procedures” was destroyed, we were told by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner.

3. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is a multi-million operation into the failure of UK institutions:
   • Our latest submission to the Petitions Committee to Stop the Forced Removal of Children from their Parents illustrates the consistent trends on national, regional and local levels.

I Cc a number of MEPs and Commissioners I have been in touch with, possibly with a view to a Written Declaration supporting this request.

I shall publish this email on our online petition to Stop the Forced Removal of Children by Social Services – across all EU Member States, trusting that the 5,800 supporters will take their own initiatives.  The majority of signatures originate in the UK, Slovakia, Latvia and Lithuania, followed by Ireland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Portugal – all ‘victim countries’ of the UK.

Trusting that you concur with the essence of our challenge and request, I look forward to hearing from you!

Yours gratefully in advance,

Sabine Kurjo McNeill [German national, living in London since 1981, former systems analyst at CERN, European Centre for Nuclear Research in Geneva]