In family law cases, the most vulnerable party is always the child. Yet, in many countries – including Hungary – their interest is often overlooked amidst legal battles, parental manipulation, and institutional inertia. When courts or child welfare services mechanically follow outdated presumptions (such as “the mother is always the best parent”), they risk enabling abusers while alienating loving parents. Equally dangerous is the system’s reluctance to intervene against false accusations, leaving actual abusers in charge and destroying the trust of children and innocent parents alike.
This systemic negligence can have irreversible effects: children are deprived of safe and loving relationships, while the psychological scars from family breakdown, manipulation, or outright violence may last a lifetime. The damage goes far beyond individual families – society as a whole pays the price in the form of mental health crises, lost human capital, and demographic decline.
The solution requires not only legal reform but a cultural shift. We must empower professionals to recognize complex family dynamics, support healthy parental involvement for both mothers and fathers, and place children’s safety and emotional wellbeing above bureaucratic comfort or convention. (CIVILHETES)