City residents plead for Family Court reform during legislative 'coffee'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Several attendees talked about divorces that had dragged through what seemed like endless issues in the state's family court system and seemed to have a heavier impact on women than men.

Sandra Eagle, a psychotherapist and marriage counselor in Greenwich, said "parental alienation," where a child is "alienated" against a parent through false allegations of abuse, is used by courts to give custody to unfit parents despite valid claims of abuse. The definition has been discredited by the mental health and domestic abuse professionals, she said.

Eagle charged that courts are "undoing" good work by these professionals and putting kids at risk by grabbing onto this theory.

Andrew Willis, CEO of Stop Abuse Campaign, urged the legislators to sign onto the proposed national Safe Child Act, designed to make for a safer environment for children during a divorce hearing.
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"What they're doing in divorce and to children is unconscionable," Edwards said. "We have mothers who are trying to get divorces against men with means who don't do anything to support their children and they're forced to go through this chase that goes on and on. Mothers are forced to go on food stamps because of this and I can't understand why this system doesn't respond."'