Custody stalking : a mechanism for coercively controlling mothers following separation Vivienne Elizabeth
By: Elizabeth, Vivienne.
Material type: ArticleSeries: Feminist Legal Studies.Publisher: Springer, 2017Subject(s): CHILD PROTECTION | CONTACT (ACCESS) | COERCIVE CONTROL | DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | FAMILY COURT | FAMILY LAW | INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE | MOTHERS | PERPETRATORS | SEPARATION | STALKING | VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | NEW ZEALANDOnline resources: Read abstract In: Feminist Legal Studies, 2017, 25: 185–201Summary: This paper adds to our understandings of women’s post-separation experiences of coercive control through the introduction of a new concept—custody stalking. It is defined as a malevolent course of conduct involving fathers’ use of custody and/or child protection proceedings to overturn historic patterns of care for children. The experience of custody stalking is explored through three composite narratives derived from twelve mothers who participated in an exploratory, qualitative study on the involuntary loss of maternal care time following separation. The losses suffered caused these mothers tremendous grief, damaged their psychological wellbeing and had a detrimental effect on their mothering relationships. Yet custody stalking, as a form of malevolent attack, is not well recognised and mothers’ resultant losses are largely culturally invisible. This is in marked contrast to paternal filicides, another form of post-separation avenging attack committed by some fathers that also leads to maternal loss experiences, albeit more absolute. (Author's abstract). Record #6414Feminist Legal Studies, 2017, 25: 185–201
This paper adds to our understandings of women’s post-separation experiences of coercive control through the introduction of a new concept—custody stalking. It is defined as a malevolent course of conduct involving fathers’ use of custody and/or child protection proceedings to overturn historic patterns of care for children. The experience of custody stalking is explored through three composite narratives derived from twelve mothers who participated in an exploratory, qualitative study on the involuntary loss of maternal care time following separation. The losses suffered caused these mothers tremendous grief, damaged their psychological wellbeing and had a detrimental effect on their mothering relationships. Yet custody stalking, as a form of malevolent attack, is not well recognised and mothers’ resultant losses are largely culturally invisible. This is in marked contrast to paternal filicides, another form of post-separation avenging attack committed by some fathers that also leads to maternal loss experiences, albeit more absolute. (Author's abstract). Record #6414