Free Mummy Where Are You? (Revised Edition, new) by Jeanne D'Olivier

and the whole system that is supposed to be there to protect the vulnerable and innocent turns against you – closes ranks – bullies and threatens and then separates a child from his mother and threatens to give him to an abuser?  
                  As a mother, your very core is joined by an invisible thread, fragile and pure, but unbreakable - the closest bond of love.   In the animal kingdom – the mother nurtures, protects and raises the young, the father goes out to find food and provide for his family.  When did the roles so clearly defined in nature suddenly become reversed? It seemed that women were suddenly considered less suitable primary carers than men, many of whom had shown little interest in them as babies, but suddenly wanted to take the mother’s role when they grew past the age of total dependency?  It seemed strange that so many men now wanted to adopt the mother’s role.  Thirty years ago, a man would not have considered this and yet from wanting their rightful access to their children, which one can sympathise with, especially in the case of good fathers whose relationship with the mother has broken down, this pendulum had swung to them wanting to usurp the role of  mother and take her place.  
                  My father drove me to the Court where I met with Louise.  She was a tall lady, not unlike Angelica Houston to look at, quite severe in her appearance, but reassuringly confident.  Her advice too was to go back to the Island, eat humble pie, apologise to the Court and take whatever penalty the Court saw fit.                 I was mortified.  “I can't do that – not because I fear punishment but because they will give him to his father who has abused him.”  I said, incredulous.   Did she believe me?  Why should she?  She didn’t know anything about me.  She didn’t understand the closed-shop system in the Island from which we had run.  She didn’t know the hostility of the Courts towards women or the Patriarchal dynasty of the Judicial System - the Old Boys Club where each looked after the other.  How could I explain this to a total stranger in a foreign land?   She had no reason to either believe or disbelieve me – but this was the best advice she could offer.  
                  I told her I wanted to find a lawyer and fight to stay in America with my son, where at least there would be different Court experts who I hoped would listen to M – would hear us.   I wanted to at least try – refusing to release our dream of a life without fear.   She made some calls to a few local law firms, but without success.  So we entered the Court and she told the Judge, a very severe looking woman in her sixties, with a white face, scraped back blonde hair, expressionless and looking bored, that I was going to seek counsel and she sought an adjournment to allow me to do this.  The Court gave me exactly two days to appoint someone and another hearing was scheduled for the Friday of that week. 
                  We left the Court and went straight home and began to ringing through the book again – leaving messages on answer phones, speaking to secretaries of every law firm in the area.  
                  By Thursday night we had still not secured any legal representation.  It seemed likely we would be sent back to the Island the following day.   I was in total despair as I feared for M being given to R and what that might do to him.  I hated him being in Foster Care, but I believed that most foster carers were kind people and he was safer in care than returned to the Island and given to R which would otherwise be the likely outcome. It was hopeless – we had run out of time.
                  At six O clock the phone rang – a very polite gentleman said, “I’ve picked up your message and I can represent you.  Come and see me after the hearing tomorrow and I’ll ring the duty