Forced to stay in same country as abuser or risk persecution under Hague Convention

Australia, 23 October 2020, by Sarah ThomasABC News

Ask Hannah* how she’s feeling about the future and she struggles to answer.

Hannah left her violent partner in 2011 and nine years on, she and her 11-year-old daughter are homeless and destitute, relying on charities to survive.

“I’ve had to keep up hope because everyone has always said, things will get better — you know, when this [development] happens, it will get better and when that happens it will get better. And it hasn’t.”

Hannah, a British national, is in limbo — trapped in a legal device designed to protect mothers, but frequently used as a weapon against them.

Keep reading the original full article at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-24/hague-convention-traps-domestic-violence-victims/12807342