What Happened to “the Child’s Best Interest” in Denmark?

The lack of clarifying the political intention behind the phrase “the best interest of the child” as the obligation for the child to be with both parents in almost all circumstances is causing some children serious harm – and some primary caretakers – mostly women – too.

The missing specification or definition of “the best interest of the child” in the Act on Parental Responsibility leads to a suppression of the child’s need for care and protection. If child experts follow the two-parentsnecessary- line, the children can suffer, be hurt and are the losers.

In October 2013 the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament approved a working document on a fact-finding visit to Denmark regarding child custody and visitation rights stating that the Danish Parental Responsibility Act has the possibility of creating perverse effects in cases with an abusive parent. By focusing on several different aspects of the law, all illustrated by testimonies of high-conflict cases from real life where the Parental Responsibility Act had severe and negative effects for children and their mothers, the book illustrates the problematic dynamics of the current Act.