The mother, grandmother and great-grandmother of a 10-year-old girl who is under a care order today filed a judicial protest requesting the authorities to allow them access to the child whom they had not visited for about five years.

In the protest, filed against the Social Policy Minister, the women said the girl was placed under a care order in January 2003. The mother had not contested the order at the time because of her state of health. Sometime later, the Family Court granted the mother supervised access for an hour once a week at Appogg.

However, the mother said, she faced various obstacles to see her daughter. She was sometimes told the girl did not want to see her or that the girl did not find a lift from someone to get her from the home where she was living to Appogg. In fact, the court had ordered the agency to ensure that the girl was provided with transport to see her mother.

In January 2005, the court ordered that efforts to prepare the girl to meet her mother were to continue, the women said in the protest. In August 2006, the women wrote a letter to the ministry asking whether there had been any progress in the girl’s therapy so that they would be able to see her. They were told that their letter was forwarded to Appogg; but they never heard from the agency. The women added that, in the meantime, the girl received Confirmation and they were not invited to the ceremony. When they tried to visit her at school, they were stopped and told to go to Appogg if they wanted to see the girl. When they coincidentally met the girl in public walking accompanied by her social worker, the girl started waving at them but the social worker urged her to hurry on.

Some five months ago, the mother caught a glimpse of the girl at Appogg and she looked fine and did not seem scared of her, the protest read. The women added that serious allegations had been attributed to them, however, they had always categorically denied any wrongdoing and the police never instituted criminal action against them. They argued that it was clear some people were going out of their way to ensure the girl was estranged from her family and this would cause irreparable damage to the child. They wished to see her especially since the great-grandmother, aged 86, was not in a good state of health. They called on the authorities to grant them access to the girl or hold them liable in damages.

Lawyer Henry Antoncich signed the protest.