International Human Rights Initiative
Collective Submission to the United Nations
Working together to document institutional failures affecting protective mothers and children worldwide.
About the Initiative
Justice for Protective Mothers is coordinating an international initiative to document a recurring pattern affecting protective mothers and their children across different countries.
We are collecting documented cases in which a mother:
Reports domestic violence, coercive control or concerns for her child’s safety → subsequently loses custody or is separated from her child → and, in some cases, is forced to flee in an attempt to protect the child, leading to Hague Convention proceedings or other legal consequences.
Our objective is to document this recurring pattern and bring it to the attention of the appropriate United Nations human rights mechanisms.
This is a collective initiative. We are not asking the United Nations to decide individual custody cases. Our aim is to document a broader international pattern through real, documented experiences.
Who Can Participate?
You may participate if you are a mother whose case reflects some or all of the following circumstances:
- You reported domestic violence, coercive control, abuse or concerns regarding your child’s safety.
- Your allegations were dismissed, minimised or used against you.
- You subsequently lost custody or your child was placed primarily with the father.
- You were accused of parental alienation or of trying to damage the relationship between your child and the other parent.
- You were forcibly separated from your child.
- You fled or relocated with your child because you believed this was necessary to protect them.
- Your case subsequently involved the Hague Convention or criminal proceedings.
Your case does not need to include all of these circumstances to participate.
Cases from any country may be considered.
Submission Timeline
30 November 2026
Deadline for participants to submit their individual documentation to Justice for Protective Mothers.
31 December 2026
Completion of the collective report and final review.
30 January 2027
Planned submission of the collective communication to the relevant United Nations human rights mechanisms.
Documentation Required
You do NOT need to send your complete case file.
We know that many mothers have years of court proceedings and thousands of pages of documents.
We only need the essential information necessary to understand and verify your story.
Whenever possible, please provide:
- A short testimony: Approximately one page explaining what happened to you and your child. Focus on the essential events: what you reported, what happened afterwards and how you became separated from your child or lost custody.
- Evidence that you reported the violence or concerns: For example, one relevant police report, complaint or official document showing that you reported domestic violence, abuse, coercive control or concerns regarding your child’s safety.
- The main custody decision: If applicable, the principal court decision showing that custody or primary residence of the child was subsequently transferred to the father or that you lost custody/contact.
- Hague Convention documentation (only if applicable):If you fled or relocated with your child and Hague Convention proceedings followed, please provide the principal decision or most relevant document from those proceedings.
That is enough.
You do not need to send your entire court file.
Medical records, psychological reports, school records, complete court files and extensive evidence are not required unless they are particularly relevant and you are legally permitted and comfortable sharing them.
Confidentiality & Anonymity
We understand how sensitive these cases are.
Justice for Protective Mothers treats all information received with strict confidentiality and takes measures to protect the documentation provided by participants.
The collective submission is intended to document an international pattern — not to publicly expose individual mothers or children.
Participants may request that their case be presented using initials or a pseudonym.
Before we process a case, participants must read and sign our Consent & Confidentiality Form, which explains how their information may be used and the confidentiality options available to them.
If your case is subject to legal restrictions concerning the disclosure of court documents or evidence, please do not send restricted material without first obtaining appropriate legal advice or authorisation.
We Understand How Difficult This Is
We know that telling your story again can be painful.
Many of us are protective mothers ourselves and understand how difficult it can be to revisit experiences of violence, court proceedings and separation from our children.
For this reason, we are working to make participation as simple as possible.
You do not need to explain every detail of your case.
We need only the essential information that allows us to understand and document the pattern.
If you are unsure about what to send, please contact us before preparing a large amount of documentation. We can help you understand what is relevant.
How to Participate
Step 1
Download and read the Case Preparation Guide in your preferred language.
Step 2
Read and sign the Consent & Confidentiality Form.
Step 3
Prepare your short testimony and select the essential supporting documents described above.
Step 4
Send your testimony, signed consent form and supporting documents to Justice for Protective Mothers.
If you have questions or are unsure whether your case is relevant, contact us before preparing your documentation (info@justiceforprotectivemothers.org)
We would rather help you identify the essential documents than ask you to prepare an unnecessarily large case file.