A woman needs help to fight against her abuser and bring her two Chinese-American children (a 7-year-old and 13-year-old) back to safety, as posted on GoFundMe:
Melissa was trapped in a physically, emotionally, financially, and legally abusive marriage with the children's father for 13 years in Shanghai, China. She was unable to divorce or separate from her abuser safely, under constant threat of parental abduction, and fearing for the safety of herself and her children in a country with no laws offering any sort of protection. In August 2022, she managed to escape with Oscar and Cora to a safe place in Toronto, close to friends. Even though Melissa and her children are US citizens, they were estranged from any family living in the US because of the restrictive coercion and control the children's father had over them.
On Saturday, February 11, 2023, a court order was enforced by the Peel Regional Police to remove Oscar and Cora from their safe and happy home with their mother, and placed them in the full custody of their abusive father (under the condition that neither party may remove the children from Peel Region or the Greater Toronto Area), with Melissa's parenting rights suspended, until a court hearing set for February 22nd, 2023. The motion was filed ex parte on February 9th, which explicitly did not allow Melissa to be present, or be represented, during this initial hearing for the father's petition to gain custody. No due diligence was done by the court to understand the danger to the children by granting full parental rights to their abusive father.
Visit the GoFundMe site to read the full story.
They're raising money to fight this through the courts -- all donated funds will help cover legal fees. (According to the latest update, Melissa has found a team of lawyers requiring a flat fee of $20,000 in Canadian dollars.)
You can help by donating or sharing the fundraiser in your social networks.
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