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I never imagined I would be in a position where I have to ask for help like this, but today, I have no choice.
My name is Sidonie, and I am a mother fighting to protect my daughter, and our fundamental human rights, caught in an horrific nightmare fighting an unlawful weaponised application of The Hague Convention against me since September 2022 shortly after having escaped all sort of frightening lengthy abuse in Athens Greece, a place I never agreed nor consent to permanently relocate to and return to the safety of my home, my place of residence in London, UK.
For the past 4 years this May, I have been caught in a complex and deeply distressing and costly legal battle across borders. What should have been a process to protect a child and her mother has instead become an overwhelming fight, where I have faced not only legal obstacles, but also financial strain, threats, isolation from my only young child in serious and ongoing miscarriage of justice that is inhumane and punitive.
Over the course of nearly four years now, I have to go to Athens in a place where everything is foreign from the language, culture to the juridical systems and no support system in terms of family or friends. To say that this has been a destabilising, traumatic, lonely, challenging and a deeply painful journey is an understatement.
At the heart of this fight are basic rights that should never be questioned: Human rights, a
a child’s rights, parental rights, child’s rights to be and feel safe, to be heard, and to have meaningful access to both sides of her family.
A mother’s right to build, maintain, and nurture a strong and stable relationship with her child especially in the place where the mother lives.
My daughter is a bright, loving, and sensitive young girl. She is a biracial child, with a rich cultural heritage that deserves to be embraced, nurtured, and protected instead her world is constrained in a mono-racial, mono-lingual, mono-cultural environment that is contrary to the very essence of her fundamental being, her biracial heritage and her biracial identity.
No child should ever be made to feel less because of who they are and use as a weapon, tool or token.
Yet my daughter has experienced deeply distressing and inappropriate treatments at the hands of people she trusted, people who were meant to care for her. On one occasion, she was treated differently in a way that raised serious safeguarding and welfare concerns, being intentionally placed under the intense Mediterranean sun in the middle of summer, in a car, during a return trip from the beach, the car stopped, she was made to swap seats, resulting in her being seated on the side where the July deadly sun hit, while her caucasian skin cousin was made to take shaded seat.
She kept this traumatic experience and waited for my arrival 2 weeks later. I held my baby who was 10 ten, as she narrated the horrific event, and how she was scared and cried for me. My daughter told me how her skin was burning, in a journey that is about 40/60 minutes depending on the traffic. I cried with my baby, cradled her, reassured and promised her that I will protect her and thanked her for trusting in me.
- That day what my daughter and her younger cousin learnt that base on their skin colour their were treated differently.
- That day my child carefreeness and innocence were robbed from her.
- That day my daughter learned about racism, about white privilege.
- That day the two women she was with exposed their real feelings.
- That day my daughter learned that whilst she is with them, that is the treatment and position she merits and deserves .
- That day my daughter learned about being fear, the worst kind of fear, terror from those who have disguised themselves in pretending to love you, care for you unconditionally.
- That day she understood that abuser have familiar faces, that her skin colour was the problem and that she was not to be loved by them unconditionally.
- That day she experienced what is to be a victim, lived what child abuse, child endangerment, child neglect, child isolation, child intimidation.
- That day, I by association to my child being a mother I became once again a victim of abuse.
No parent should have to witness their defenceless child in despair, that state of hurt, confused, and made to feel scared or worthless.
So I would like you to imagine something, how do you think I sleep ever since? Knowing that these women have continuing access to my daughter and how their presence is a mean to re traumatise her each time.
I asked for distance between my daughter and those involved. Instead, I was met with more intimidation, threats and limiting visitation access to my child whenever I went to Athens.
For my baby I face it all and still facing it all. pressure, and I faced obstacles that limited my ability to be with her. She has since been told to recount her truth, but she won’t. She knew what was done to her was immoral, horrible and wrong, so she came to the parent she trusted would protect her.
From that moment, something changed in her sense of being, her feeling of safety and belonging was shaken up to this day, she remains in an environment where those concerns have not been and will never be addressed.
My daughter’s life has been carefully arranged and monitored to be centred with her half Greek family only. Contacts with her London’s life as a British citizen and her Cameroonian maternal family has been completely removed, depriving her of essential physical bonds and connection to her a vital half part of her identity and heritage have been unlawfully and intentionally removed, which is a violation of her child’s rights child rights to have access to both families and of her best interests.
Every child deserves the right to grow up feeling safe, valued, and fully connected to their identity and who they are.
As a survivor in an ongoing struggle of abuses and discrimination, rebuilding a safe, prosperous, financially stable life and moving forward remains unobstructed by This purposely designed and weaponised use of The Hague Convention against me.
Despite the ongoing challenges and trauma, I will not give up defending my truth, challenge and stand up to the false narrative until my evidence and the circumstances that led to this unlawful application are finally considered and admitted and addressed in the court of law in order to defend and protect my daughter’s my truth and rights, as well as my truth, human rights and parental rights.
But I cannot do this alone anymore.
The legal costs have become overwhelming, and without support, I risk losing the ability to properly defend my case and protect those rights:
I am raising funds to cover:
• Legal representation and court fees in Athens, Greek family court.
• Ongoing case-related expenses such as the translation of documents from English to Greek.
Every contribution, no matter how small, will go directly toward ensuring that I can continue this fight.
If you are unable to donate, sharing this page would mean just as much.
This is not just about one case, it is about standing up for a child’s right to safety, dignity, identity, and a life free from harm. It is also about the many voiceless women and children who remain hidden and unheard, often silenced by narratives that do not reflect their reality. Too many women and girls continue to face deeply unjust challenges, where systems can be used in ways that leave them feeling controlled, intimidated, and without a voice.
Please note: If you would like to learn more about the Hague Convention click here https://www.hague-mothers.org.uk/what-is-the-hague-convention/
Thank you for reading, for caring, and for standing with us.
Sidonie
Organizer
