" Escaping torture and forced to return to it "

I am reaching out with an urgent and heartfelt plea for support. We are in desperate need of funds to secure the best possible legal representation for my cousin, Kimberley and her 2 year-old son who are in a critical and deeply distressing state due to being forced back to a country where they don’t belong. Banished from their home country back to a life where they are at extreme risk of harm.

Kimberley is the devoted mother to her son who was born in England in 2023. Kimberley (also a British citizen), fled with her son from her ex-partners country of origin to the UK, to escape a long-standing and severe history of domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-partner—her son’s father. They had lived in her ex's home country for only 21 days before escaping for their safety. Yet, the courts have ruled that they must return to the father’s home country as he did not authorise their escape.

The abuse began in 2018 and was prolonged and devastating—physically, emotionally, financially, and psychologically. Kimberley endured multiple hospitalisations as a result of physical violence. She was even physically assaulted whilst holding her baby and was subjected to daily verbal degradation. She was abandoned during a road trip and forced to walk for miles with her belongings and forced to sleep in a car whilst her ex-partner slept in the comfort of his mother’s home. Kimberley was constantly told she was worthless, a failure, and urged to end her life.

The final act of violence that pushed her to flee involved an incident whereby Kimberley was fighting for her breath, unsure whether it would be her last. Kimberley was left bruised, traumatised, and terrified for her life. With the support of the police in both France and the UK, Project Salama (a domestic abuse charity), our local MP, and family, Kimberley and her son made it to safety in the UK.

They arrived with nothing but a backpack each and—her son didn’t even have shoes. Whilst in the UK Kimberley has worked tirelessly to rebuild a safe, stable life for them both. They had begun to find peace, community, and hope. But now, everything has been taken away. All they worked so painstakingly hard to build has been ripped from them and they will now spend the foreseeable future looking over there shoulder for the perpetrator they have been return to.

Kimberley’s abuser—her ex-partner and the father of her child - filed proceedings under international child abduction laws at the High Court in London, seeking to have her child returned to France. It was ruled that her son must return to her abuser’s country, where Kimberley has no family, no protection, no finances and no support. Back to a life of fear, isolation, and likely renewed abuse. The court relied solely on promises from her ex — a man who has repeatedly proven he cannot be trusted. Kimberley has now been torn from the safety she fought so hard to build and placed right back in the shadow of her abuser.

This legal action is, in itself, an extension of the abuse. Her abuser is now using the court system—and their child—as a weapon of control.

It is with immense heartbreak and despair that we are now in a position where we are desperately seeking the funds necessary to support Kimberley with ongoing proceedings to get her and her son HOME. The application alone is going to cost £4500, a sum Kimberley simply does not have. But This is our last and only chance to ensure the safety of Kimberley and her son and hopefully their return to the UK where they belong. No one should be expected to live a life of fear, torture and no access to financial or social support. Please help us to ensure their voices—especially her son’s—are heard and protected before it’s too late. Kimberley is in a state of sheer desperation, fearing not only for her own safety but, above all, for the future and wellbeing of her son.

Kimberley’s story is not just one of abuse — it is one of survival. But the fight is not over.

We are urgently raising funds to:

• Support Kimberley and her baby’s legal battle for justice

• Cover safe accommodation and essentials until she can secure financial assistance

• Fund ongoing legal aid and protective services for her and her son

Your donation could change the course of this child’s future — from one of fear and violence to one of hope and safety

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I hope, with all my heart, that you can help. Please know this only begins to describe / scratch the surface of the suffering Kimberley has endured