One day this form of parental abuse may be better understood. I can’t understand the position of those who purport to judge from a situation of no knowledge, often from a position only of idle gossip about a situation. Parental alienation, by one parent against another, is also not understood as a form of child abuse. Your ptsd resulting from this situation is very understandable.

Good article in the Weekend Australian,which shines a light on how powerful men get protected in respect of their transgressions and simultaneously use that power to silence women by publicly shaming them. Well done Phoebe for calling it out!

To a point it is helpful to use personal experience to raise awareness of mental health issues and to eradicate stigma. Harry and Meghan had their interview with Oprah with this in mind. Continual public ‘family bashing’ cannot be helpful to overcoming mental health issues.  Harry is now doing the same thing Meghan’s father and siblings did to her by public shaming her with interviews with the tabloid press - this  prevented any possibility of reconciliation with her father. Harry needs his family, however much he perceives their shortcomings, as it is clear he is loved by his royal family.

For once, let's celebrate the 'victim' who fights back!

Why am I speaking out on this? Because too often when domestic violence is raised, there is a tragedy - a woman and/or her children are killed by her partner. Or a woman kills her partner in self-defence, often not perceived as self-defence, and she is charged with manslaughter or murder.

Here is a woman who says - enough of this man, enough of this relationship - I made a mistake about this man, as many do. I have a right to a independent life with my children for whom I care deeply (albeit shared with their father), including the right to work and support my family. These children are 'our' children, which is why I as their mother should be treated with the utmost dignity.

Physical violence in a relationship usually follows a long series of controlling behaviours. It is just the tip of the iceberg. If not checked, the abuse continues well beyond the end of the relationship, often with far-reaching consequences.

Can you imagine a French court making a decision that would deny a French father the right to support his family? If Melissa is denied the right to work, and be a mother at the same time, he is able to continue his control/abuse of her. Doesn't seem very 21st century to me!

Melissa George is doing a great service for victims of domestic violence from all walks of life by expressing publicly the powerlessness most victims feel when the 'system' will not hear their story and instead chooses to believe their abuser. As a caring mother she has decided to fight back and make sure her voice is heard!

I'm a bit of a francophile, but am appalled by the decision-making of French courts in her case. A caring mother of very young children is violently assaulted by her partner, as evidenced by her injuries. She is also breast-feeding the youngest.The court order of week-on week-off custody between the parents means she can't work with no French visa. She can't fly to the U.S for her work as an international actress as she is not willing to leave her children in France and there is a no fly order in relation to the children. I think probably feels she may jeopardise any custody if she leaves France without the children. She is selling assts to support herself and her children, and thankfully she can do this. Her husband is using financial imbalance in the relationship and a system that appears biased in his favour and sexist against women, particularly non-French women, to continue abuse against her. It is shameful that the French courts appear to be supportive of him. The mother of this man's children appears a beautiful, intelligent, international actress, who speaks French and is also a very caring mother. He should be proud that she is the mother of his children.

We accept the laws of countries we live, but France prides itself in being a liberal country. It doesn't seem so liberal to me when there is a contest between a non-french mother and Frenchman.

I am glad she has the courage to fight back against this in the only way she can - exposing the legal decisions made here and this to international scrutiny.