Hagued Mother, we need your help

Dear Friends, Family, and Community,

I am writing to you in desperation and heartbreak as a mother fighting for the safety and well-being of my child. My story is one of systemic failure, injustice, and human rights violations, and I need your support to continue this battle.

As a survivor of domestic violence, I fled Denmark with my 3-year-old daughter to my home country, the United States, seeking safety and protection. However, despite clear evidence of abuse and the grave risk to my child’s well-being, a U.S. judge ordered us to return to Denmark, believing that the Danish system would respect the U.S. court order and uphold my daughter’s rights.

On Feb 22nd when I landed in Denmark with my daughter, my worst fears came true. At the airport, Danish police detained me and forcibly took my daughter from my arms, handing her over to her father—a man with a history of severe PTSD, substance abuse, and violence. It has now been two weeks, and I have been denied all contact with my daughter. Her basic human rights are being violated.

My daughter has autism and a speech delay. She only understands and responds in Spanish, yet she has been placed in an environment where no one speaks her language or understands her special needs. Her therapy and medical care have been disrupted, and there is no confirmation that she is receiving the support she desperately needs.

Despite reaching out to the Danish authorities, the municipality, and the U.S. Embassy, my pleas to see my child have been ignored and denied. Her grandmother and I have both formally requested visitation, but we have been met with silence. The Danish system has failed to protect her, just as it failed to protect me when I first reported abuse.

This is not just my fight—it is a fight for every parent who has been silenced, for every child whose rights have been ignored, and for every survivor who has been retraumatized by the very systems meant to protect them.

This legal battle has exhausted me emotionally and financially, but I refuse to give up. I am fighting not only for my daughter’s safety, but also to shed light on a system that repeatedly fails the most vulnerable.

To continue this fight—for her protection and for broader systemic change—I need your support. The cost of litigation and advocacy has already exceeded $50,000. It’s a steep price, but a necessary one to safeguard my daughter and to expose the deep flaws in international treaties like the Hague Convention, which too often protect abusers while silencing the victims they harm.

Please consider supporting my cause—whether through donations, sharing my story, or raising awareness. Every action, no matter how small, brings me closer to protecting my daughter and ensuring that no other parent has to endure this nightmare.

Thank you for your time, support, and belief in justice.

With gratitude

How You Can Help:

Donate – Any amount will bring us closer to safety and justice.

Share Our Story – Amplify our fight by sharing this message with your networks.

Sign the Petition – Support reforms to the misuse of the Hague Convention to protect survivors and their children.

Share this page and Article:

https://www.raadvild.dk/post/danish-family-law-system-is-breaking-the-human-rights-of-children-and-battered-parents?fbclid=IwY2xjawJSQlxleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHY6FhRKDU5rEoD0GdtfshsBMjOUdMQbsYiLRusPOgGW0CyWgRDNozuIdMg_aem_84kguYJJxt9ds2nreMmYXA

https://www.peoplefor.org/trump-judges-force-mother-give-child

Link to Petition Your support is not just for us but for countless others who face similar battles in silence.

https://www.change.org/p/reform-the-hague-convention-to-prevent-its-misuse-in-domestic-violence-cases

Together, we can expose these injustices, demand accountability, and pave the way for a future where survivors and their children are truly protected.

Thank you for standing with us.

With gratitude and hope,

Melissa & Isla