To Reem Alsalem, Up is Down, Night is Day, and Lies are the Truth

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Mike Buchanan

Telephone: +44 7967 026163

To Reem Alsalem, Up is Down, Night is Day, and Lies are the Truth

June 27, 2023 – Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem has submitted a report to the Human Rights Council titled, “Custody, Violence Against Women and Violence against Children” (1). A cursory review of the report reveals it is filled with half-truths, misleading claims, and outright falsehoods. If approved, the report would cause irreparable harm to the human rights of children and parents.

A recent analysis identifies 35 examples of such false statements in the report (2). Following are six of these falsehoods:

CLAIM: “While men can also fall victims to domestic violence, women are at much higher risk.” FACT: A review of hundreds of domestic violence studies conducted around the world concludes, “women are as physically aggressive as men (or more) in their relationships with their spouses or opposite-sex partners.” (3)
CLAIM: The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women “noted that the stereotyped roles of women and men also manifest as gender stereotyping and prejudices in legal systems, which result in the denial of effective justice to women.” FACT: This statement is the exact opposite of the truth – it’s male victims of domestic violence who are often ignored and ridiculed by the legal system (4).
CLAIM: “In the context of domestic violence, there is a duty to listen and respond to children’s accounts of violence, with a view to validating those experiences.” FACT: Judges are not counselors or therapists. Although courts should consider all credible evidence of domestic violence, courts do not have a duty to “validate” such claims.
CLAIM: “The use of parental alienation is highly gendered and frequently used against mothers.” FACT: Scientific surveys reveal that fathers and mothers are equally likely to be accused of child alienation (5).
CLAIM: “Academic experts have noted the concerning development whereby reputable academic journals in the field of psychology are publishing articles that promote the notion of ‘alienating behaviours’ with applying the usual standards of scientific rigour in peer review.” FACT: The Special Rapporteur does not provide any data to support such an implausible and silly statement.
CLAIM: Parental alienation “has been dismissed by medical, psychiatric, and psychological associations.” FACT: The PA concept has been accepted by numerous groups such as the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, American Academy of Pediatrics, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, and National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (2).

When she announced the project last December, Alsalem promised that “All submissions will be published on the mandate webpage on the OHCHR website” (6) – a promise that she did not keep.

To Reem Alsalem, up is down, night is day, and lies are the truth.

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 95 member organizations from 33 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse polices are science-based, family-affirming, and gender-inclusive. https://endtodv.org/davia/

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