Il-Ħsieb: Why do children still have to meet perpetrators?

Why do victims still have to meet perpetrators even against their will?

Yes, children that have witnessed domestic violence still have to visit the abuser. The court of law rarely prevents abusive parents from seeing their children.

The young victims who, in their innocence, hear the screams, see the beatings and endure the fear in the sanctuary called home.

The young victims who have to flee the shelter of their home just because the perpetrator has decided to use violence for the umpteenth time.

Young witnesses of domestic violence are still forced to meet the abusive parent. The same parent who disrupted their nights with violence.

The same person who burned fear into their souls. A trauma that will haunt them for decades to come.

I ask: are we really acting in the best interest of the child when the courts grant the abuser visitation rights?

Is the state taking all appropriate legislative and administrative measures when it comes to domestic violence cases?

Why are the perpetrators granted access to the children even if criminally convicted of domestic violence?

Pets are taken from their owners when maltreated. Adults are provided with protection orders, for all their worth.

However, children are forced to continue visiting their perpetrators.