![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/family-courts-mothers-dying-after-abusers-claim-access-to-children/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/130963644_message2.jpg&description=Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Several women died from suicide or ill health after fathers accused of abuse applied for contact with their kids Five mums have died after family courts allowed fathers accused of abuse to apply for contact with their children, a BBC investigation has found. Some took their own lives, another had a heart attack outside court. One mother, whose child was ordered to live with a convicted child rapist, would no longer eat and drink and "gave up living", friends say. A separate study has found 75 children forced into contact with fathers who had been previously reported for abuse. In some cases, in the England-wide study carried out by the University of Manchester and revealed for the first time by the BBC, the fathers were convicted paedophiles. All the fathers in the study had responded in court to allegations of abuse with a disputed concept known as "parental alienation", in which they claimed the mothers had turned the child against them without good reason. Dr Elizabeth Dalgarno, who led the research, says the concept is a "handy tool for abusers" and its acceptance by courts is a "national scandal". Family law barrister, Lucy Reed KC, says the term is deployed "increasingly frequently" - but doesn't always mean the same thing. "It's quite often used by fathers to mean pretty much anything that is in opposition to their demand for a certain amount of contact." The 45 mothers of the children in the University of Manchester study all reported serious health problems which they believed were linked to the stress of family court proceedings - including miscarriages, heart attacks and suicidal thoughts. For months, the BBC has also been examining stories of traumatised women as part of a wider investigation into the way the family courts handle domestic violence claims in disputes between parents. Because of the laws surrounding reporting of the court proceedings, intended to protect children, the women's names and some identif){kind=link}
Five mums have died after family courts allowed fathers accused of abuse to apply for contact with their children, a BBC investigation has found.
Some took their own lives, another had a heart attack outside court.
One mother, whose child was ordered to live with a convicted child rapist, would no longer eat and drink and “gave up living”, friends say.
A separate study has found 75 children forced into contact with fathers who had been previously reported for abuse.
In some cases, in the England-wide study carried out by the University of Manchester and revealed for the first time by the BBC, the fathers were convicted paedophiles.