Mother seeks return of her son after care order

A woman has filed a judicial protest against Aġenzija Appoġġ, pleading for the return of her nine-year-old son who was placed under a care order 13 months ago. The woman, who is from Msida, said that her son was taken away because of an alleged once-only failure on her part. At the time, she said she was the victim of serious threats and was suffering extreme fear. Yet no care or assistance was offered to her, and the care order imposed for her son destroyed her emotionally. Access to the boy had then been infrequent and under strict supervision. The woman said that she had been able to overcome her problems and entered into a stable relationship, but Appogg still refused to lift the care order, on the pretext that the boy would then be living with a couple (his mother and her partner) who were not married.  Yet the same boy (resident in a Home) was often left in the care of foster parents who themselves were not married. The woman said that she had even ended her relationship so that Appoġġ would have no reason not to lift the care order. Yet the care order was still left in place. Although the Home had made efforts to ease the anxiety and desperate sadness which the boy was...