My name is Rebekah Velasco, and I am fundraising to support my brother, Stephen and his daughter, Älvarún. After over four years of residence in Sweden, Stephen will be relocating back to Oregon in early July. He is undertaking this relocation to establish custody of his daughter in Oregon, a court ruling that has already been granted to him after a lengthy custody case in Sweden. His ex has evaded this ruling and has denied Stephen any physical access to his daughter for over two years.
Älvarún has been moved across international borders by Stephen's ex twice in her short life, both times without the knowledge or consent of my brother. There has been a concerted effort to justify these actions through publicly leveraged false abuse allegations against Stephen, which he has maintained are untrue. He has collected evidence to disprove these allegations and has disclosed incidents wherein he has suffered multiple layers of abuse. I believe him. I was involved in Stephen's life when these incidents occurred and have witnessed how they have been weaponized against him. As a woman, I find this abuse of power heartbreaking and unacceptable. As an aunt, I feel a responsibility to help prevent the theft of my niece from my family.
We stand behind Stephen and Älvarún and will continue to utilize our resources to support them. Any funds raised here will go directly to Stephen's legal aid in the upcoming Oregon custody case and his housing, food, and transportation costs during his relocation. He will be rebuilding from square one.
As a witness to the last six years of Stephen and Älvarún's story, I have composed a lengthy recollection of the events that have transpired so far in their lives together and apart. I have shared this story on my website, and I encourage you to read it. It sheds light on the level of injustice Stephen has been experiencing and the trauma that is woven throughout his daughter's life.
You will never know how much your support means to our family. We thank you for holding space for our truth.
In solidarity,
Rebekah Velasco