#BringSoraHome Call to Abolish Systemic Bias in the Irish Courts That Harm Abused Children
The Issue
Search #BringSoraHome on Mastodon & Bluesky and create a notification and follow my posts there to stay up to date. Please share this petition on all your social media with this hashtag.
This is a call to all the People of Ireland who have children, or at the very least understand that children must be protected from physical and mental harm, even if the abuser is the child's mother. Please join me in demanding the abolishment of criminally-outdated and dangerous gender bias & the selective disregard of laws protecting children from abuse and trauma within the Irish Courts by and at the convenience of "traditional" Justices. Demand that all Irish law, and all child welfare-related law that Ireland has signed onto with the EU, the UN, and especially the Hague Convention be enforced to the maximum ability of the state in favor of the child, regardless of the nationality and gender of the victims.
Ireland boasts that it has, and is a signatory on, a number of child welfare laws that protect all children in Ireland from threat, harm, abuse, and mistreatment, as well as providing free and comprehensive medical and psychological healthcare to allow abuse survivors to recover from their trauma and injuries. These laws prevent such victims from being forcibly deported or placed into the care of abusers (even in the face of a Hague Convention claim), especially when those children have been identified as suffering from trauma and in urgent need of therapy. So why are these protections being blatantly disregarded to facilitate and expedite the forced deportation of a child who was demonstrated to the Courts to be an abuse survivor that qualified for and is in need of recovery and protection? How long has this injustice been going on?
"What happened?"
Back in October 2025, me and my then three-year-old son Sora left Japan after enduring years of abusive and violent behavior from his Japanese mother and her parents. Every attempt to work things out with her or find some reasonable compromise either failed or led to additional abuse and danger (the Japanese police refused to do anything about it). After a while, we were forced to live apart from her due to her threatening both of us with physical harm. She pointed a large kitchen knife directly at me and Sora while screaming herself red in the face, which deeply traumatized Sora and led to him having horrific nightmares that continue to this day (the Japanese police and Japanese social workers refused to do anything about it). Even after putting distance between us, she constantly threatened me with prison, deportation, lawsuits, and repeatedly demanded I file for divorce (strangely, she never presented me with any court summons or divorce papers herself, despite regularly meeting with her in-person). She also refused to take any financial responsibility for a child she was claiming ownership of, as if Sora was a piece of property she was entitled to. I had to pay for Sora's schooling and scheduled vaccinations out of my own pocket because she lied to her City Hall about where Sora lived, making him ineligible for free public services like daycare and clinic visits (the city officials in both her city and our city, the Japanese police, and Japanese social workers refused to do anything about it). Ultimately, she gave up on both of us and disappeared completely, refusing multiple requests by me to even visit with him. During the time we were separated, I was not being allowed to work because I was a full-time parent and no job I qualified for would offer childcare. The only part-time work I could get as a teacher wasn't enough to properly support Sora. I was also not given any kind of support by the Japanese government, and the money and supplies I had saved up were quickly disappearing. So, after living and teaching in Japan for almost 13 years, I made the extremely difficult decision to leave the home I had made for me and Sora so that he could finally get the care and support that the so-called mother was purposefully denying him just to spite me.
Once the mother was told that we came to Ireland and were seeking asylum to get the medical and financial assistance we both needed, as well as protection from the domestic violence we had been suffering through, she filed kidnapping charges using the Hague Convention and demanded that Sora, to whom I was the only active parent for over two years at that point (more than half his life), be deported back to Japan to be in her custody.
"What is the problem?"
Despite demonstrating to the Irish Courts that the mother is abusive, threatening, manipulative, irresponsible in her role as a mother, voluntarily absent, willingly breaking Japanese law, and exhibiting mental instability (including recorded mentions of suicide), despite showing that Sora is traumatized, exhibiting physical manifestations of that trauma, and having evidence that the trauma is linked to contact with the mother, and despite Irish social workers, Irish pediatric doctors, and Irish child psychologists all agreeing that Sora is suffering psychologically and needs therapy, the Courts decided to side with the mother and ruled that Sora must be returned to her "care." Appealing that decision left me without legal representation or any kind, despite my willingness to pay for a private solicitor, which made it impossible to do anything meaningful to change their minds. I had to stand there and watch Sora be shuffled out of the Courts as he looked back to me wondering why this was happening. That was mid-June.
I have been repeatedly told by the Judges throughout this whole ordeal that they had no choice but to comply with the Hague Convention. The problem with that excuse is that the Hague Convention did not apply to our situation. Not only was the mother voluntarily failing to exercise her custody rights by refusing any financial responsibility towards Sora, going silent, and disappearing multiple times while we were living in Japan, but our situation qualifies for multiple exceptions of the mandate for the child in question to be deported. Including the fact that Sora now verbally refers to Ireland as "home." Other Irish laws related to child welfare also support our case. EU & UN laws that Ireland is signed onto, including the Hague Convention itself, all says that children who are found to be exhibiting trauma are exempt from deportation orders and must be allowed to receive the care they need. Because we came here uncontested, because our request for asylum was accepted, because we are considered a protected class under Irish law, this case is squarely in Ireland's jurisdiction and neither Japan nor Luxembourg can overrule the Irish Courts' decision to protect an abuse survivor. The problem is... that jurisdiction was voluntarily not exercised.
The problem is clear; The Irish Courts, specifically certain Judges, still hold to the outdated and dangerous beliefs that a woman is entitled to their child no matter what. Even after being abusive and negligent towards them. And that a man cannot possibly be the victim of domestic violence, or raise a child without the mother. It's the year 2026 and Ireland is still suffering from institutionalized sexism? Present-day Ireland knows better than that. Present-day Ireland is very progressive and accepting, and champions equality and the welfare and safety of children. Since coming to Ireland a short while ago, we have seen how caring and respectful the Irish are first-hand. But there are still people in positions of power that push against this progress and growth and those people have deliberately and needlessly placed Sora, an abuse survivor, an innocent child, in the same abusive environment that I spent over four years of my life and all of my money and resources shielding him from.
And Sora cannot possibly be the only one. The mindset required to think that mothers cannot possibly be child abusers is so insanely dangerous to many child abuse survivors who are brought to Ireland and, like us, are told that they will be protected and that they're safe. We were accepted into this country on the grounds that we were escaping abuse and were promised protection by the Irish government. "You're safe now." we were told by the IPO. But when the time came, that protection simply was not there. This miscarriage of justice has to be corrected for Sora's sake and for the sake of every child who has found or are finding themselves at the mercy of Irish Judges who simply wants to quickly brush them under the rug to appease harmful traditionalist beliefs and to look nice and compliant to the EU.
Ireland as a country advertises itself as very progressive in terms of child welfare. Ireland has a very high Human Rights Index as a result. Irish, EU, & UN laws are often cited to assure the people of Ireland, and refugees being protected by Ireland, that children are not only protected but their rights are fought for and their voices (however small) are heard to ensure they are not mistreated regardless of who they are or where they're from. This public-facing stance sadly stands in direct contradiction to how the Irish Courts continue to rule cases in the 21st century. It makes the entire country look two-faced and hypocritical.
"What needs to happen?"
First, and most urgently, the judgement against us, and the accompanying orders (like the court orders demanding that Sora's abuser have physical contact with him even before a ruling was made), needs to be reversed. Sora is being forced to live with one of his abusers and needs to be rescued and returned home to his family at least as quickly as the deportation of a child suffering from trauma was pushed out of the country. That reversal will automatically enable and order the Hague Convention in Japan to locate and repatriate Sora back to Ireland (that is assuming that the mother has not fled her address at the time of deportation and taken Sora into hiding - something that is shockingly common in Japan, and something that I specifically warned about). Reversing the judgement would not be the end of it, or prevent the mother from appealing the decision, but it would put Sora back into a safe situation under my care and allow him to restart his therapy as well as be reunited with his friends and schoolmates. It would also put her on the defense and force her to actually defend her indefensible claims.
Additionally, the following changes need to be permanently made to the Irish legal system:
- Existing cases involving child welfare need to be audited by a neutral third-party to ensure that no others have been ruled in ignorance or dismissal of any standing laws, without a proper investigation of the evidence and the child in question, pushed through the legal system to expedite rulings or to encourage asylum seekers to leave Ireland, or blindly ruled baed on gender, especially if accusations and evidence of child abuse has been presented in the case. Any oversights, infractions, or irregularities found must be brought to the attention of the Irish Government so that those responsible for ruling on those cases are reeducated and/or disbarred as necessary.
- Comprehensive (re)training for all Justices and decision makers within the Irish legal system must take place to ensure that all proper legal procedures are followed, all rights and the dignity of all parties involved are respected, that all evidence is taken into serious consideration and properly evaluated, and every fathomable consideration is made in the child's best interests and absolute top priority is given to providing for the child's immediate needs and that all possible precautions are taken against exposing the child to any additional danger, regardless of the time and cost to the state of Ireland.
- A neutral third-party oversight committee must be formed to monitor cases in the Irish Courts involving children to prevent such completely avoidable and unwanted missteps from happening in the future. The committee must be allowed to follow and oversee all cases in Ireland that involve children, especially in the matters of domestic violence and child abuse. And that committee must have a direct line of communication to the Minister of Justice (and all other relevant government agencies) to allow for immediate intervention and staying of judgements and orders if they believe at any point during the case that the child's welfare and needs are not being made the top priority, that anyone's human and constitutional rights are being violated or ignored, or laws in Ireland that protect children from harm and respect the child's voice are not being enforced for any reason.
By enacting these reasonable and long-overdue checks and balances to existing Irish law, Ireland can actually live up to the public image of itself that it projects to the rest of the world and to the people of Ireland. It will allow the Irish Government to make good on its claim that the victimized and oppressed can find safety within its borders and that it stands firmly in opposition of the evil brutalization of children worldwide. And most importantly, it will prevent vulnerable child abuse survivors who have managed to escape their abusers from being forced back into an abusive environment. This campaign was started for Sora, but will hopefully effect changes and corrections that positively impact many other children.
"How can I help?"
- Please sign this petition and share it with your friends & family online and offline. Click here for a QR link to this page.
- Boost this petition to increase the number of people who will see it.
- Contact the decision makers, if you are an Irish citizen also contact your local MPs, express your concerns and demand the provisions above.
- Donate on GoGetFunding and share that link on social media and with your friends & family.
- Follow me on Mastodon or Bluesky, and please favorite, repost, and promote posts containing the #BringSoraHome hashtag.
- Use the hashtag #BringSoraHome with a link to this petition on other social media platforms to increase awareness of this issue.
- If you have any legal expertise in Ireland or Japan, or know someone who does, please contact me directly.
- If you have the ability to translate between English & Japanese, please contact me directly.
Every single day since I was forced to simply watch Sora get disappeared under threat of me being arrested has been an unparalleled struggle. A precious few, heroic people here in Ireland and online have been the most amazing friends to me and their support has prevented me from being destroyed by grief and anger over what has been allowed to happen. Don't worry about me, worry about Sora. He is in real danger right now and I don't know how to stress that terrifying reality any better than I already have. We need your support, we need your help, please find a way to make even the smallest difference for the greatest challenge of our lives. This has to succeed, it has to. He deserves it, and the other abused children who must go through the Irish legal system to get the help and protection they need deserve it.
Thank you for reading.
Search #BringSoraHome on Mastodon & Bluesky and create a notification and follow my posts there to stay up to date. Please share this petition on all your social media with this hashtag.
93
The Issue
Search #BringSoraHome on Mastodon & Bluesky and create a notification and follow my posts there to stay up to date. Please share this petition on all your social media with this hashtag.
This is a call to all the People of Ireland who have children, or at the very least understand that children must be protected from physical and mental harm, even if the abuser is the child's mother. Please join me in demanding the abolishment of criminally-outdated and dangerous gender bias & the selective disregard of laws protecting children from abuse and trauma within the Irish Courts by and at the convenience of "traditional" Justices. Demand that all Irish law, and all child welfare-related law that Ireland has signed onto with the EU, the UN, and especially the Hague Convention be enforced to the maximum ability of the state in favor of the child, regardless of the nationality and gender of the victims.
Ireland boasts that it has, and is a signatory on, a number of child welfare laws that protect all children in Ireland from threat, harm, abuse, and mistreatment, as well as providing free and comprehensive medical and psychological healthcare to allow abuse survivors to recover from their trauma and injuries. These laws prevent such victims from being forcibly deported or placed into the care of abusers (even in the face of a Hague Convention claim), especially when those children have been identified as suffering from trauma and in urgent need of therapy. So why are these protections being blatantly disregarded to facilitate and expedite the forced deportation of a child who was demonstrated to the Courts to be an abuse survivor that qualified for and is in need of recovery and protection? How long has this injustice been going on?
"What happened?"
Back in October 2025, me and my then three-year-old son Sora left Japan after enduring years of abusive and violent behavior from his Japanese mother and her parents. Every attempt to work things out with her or find some reasonable compromise either failed or led to additional abuse and danger (the Japanese police refused to do anything about it). After a while, we were forced to live apart from her due to her threatening both of us with physical harm. She pointed a large kitchen knife directly at me and Sora while screaming herself red in the face, which deeply traumatized Sora and led to him having horrific nightmares that continue to this day (the Japanese police and Japanese social workers refused to do anything about it). Even after putting distance between us, she constantly threatened me with prison, deportation, lawsuits, and repeatedly demanded I file for divorce (strangely, she never presented me with any court summons or divorce papers herself, despite regularly meeting with her in-person). She also refused to take any financial responsibility for a child she was claiming ownership of, as if Sora was a piece of property she was entitled to. I had to pay for Sora's schooling and scheduled vaccinations out of my own pocket because she lied to her City Hall about where Sora lived, making him ineligible for free public services like daycare and clinic visits (the city officials in both her city and our city, the Japanese police, and Japanese social workers refused to do anything about it). Ultimately, she gave up on both of us and disappeared completely, refusing multiple requests by me to even visit with him. During the time we were separated, I was not being allowed to work because I was a full-time parent and no job I qualified for would offer childcare. The only part-time work I could get as a teacher wasn't enough to properly support Sora. I was also not given any kind of support by the Japanese government, and the money and supplies I had saved up were quickly disappearing. So, after living and teaching in Japan for almost 13 years, I made the extremely difficult decision to leave the home I had made for me and Sora so that he could finally get the care and support that the so-called mother was purposefully denying him just to spite me.
Once the mother was told that we came to Ireland and were seeking asylum to get the medical and financial assistance we both needed, as well as protection from the domestic violence we had been suffering through, she filed kidnapping charges using the Hague Convention and demanded that Sora, to whom I was the only active parent for over two years at that point (more than half his life), be deported back to Japan to be in her custody.
"What is the problem?"
Despite demonstrating to the Irish Courts that the mother is abusive, threatening, manipulative, irresponsible in her role as a mother, voluntarily absent, willingly breaking Japanese law, and exhibiting mental instability (including recorded mentions of suicide), despite showing that Sora is traumatized, exhibiting physical manifestations of that trauma, and having evidence that the trauma is linked to contact with the mother, and despite Irish social workers, Irish pediatric doctors, and Irish child psychologists all agreeing that Sora is suffering psychologically and needs therapy, the Courts decided to side with the mother and ruled that Sora must be returned to her "care." Appealing that decision left me without legal representation or any kind, despite my willingness to pay for a private solicitor, which made it impossible to do anything meaningful to change their minds. I had to stand there and watch Sora be shuffled out of the Courts as he looked back to me wondering why this was happening. That was mid-June.
I have been repeatedly told by the Judges throughout this whole ordeal that they had no choice but to comply with the Hague Convention. The problem with that excuse is that the Hague Convention did not apply to our situation. Not only was the mother voluntarily failing to exercise her custody rights by refusing any financial responsibility towards Sora, going silent, and disappearing multiple times while we were living in Japan, but our situation qualifies for multiple exceptions of the mandate for the child in question to be deported. Including the fact that Sora now verbally refers to Ireland as "home." Other Irish laws related to child welfare also support our case. EU & UN laws that Ireland is signed onto, including the Hague Convention itself, all says that children who are found to be exhibiting trauma are exempt from deportation orders and must be allowed to receive the care they need. Because we came here uncontested, because our request for asylum was accepted, because we are considered a protected class under Irish law, this case is squarely in Ireland's jurisdiction and neither Japan nor Luxembourg can overrule the Irish Courts' decision to protect an abuse survivor. The problem is... that jurisdiction was voluntarily not exercised.
The problem is clear; The Irish Courts, specifically certain Judges, still hold to the outdated and dangerous beliefs that a woman is entitled to their child no matter what. Even after being abusive and negligent towards them. And that a man cannot possibly be the victim of domestic violence, or raise a child without the mother. It's the year 2026 and Ireland is still suffering from institutionalized sexism? Present-day Ireland knows better than that. Present-day Ireland is very progressive and accepting, and champions equality and the welfare and safety of children. Since coming to Ireland a short while ago, we have seen how caring and respectful the Irish are first-hand. But there are still people in positions of power that push against this progress and growth and those people have deliberately and needlessly placed Sora, an abuse survivor, an innocent child, in the same abusive environment that I spent over four years of my life and all of my money and resources shielding him from.
And Sora cannot possibly be the only one. The mindset required to think that mothers cannot possibly be child abusers is so insanely dangerous to many child abuse survivors who are brought to Ireland and, like us, are told that they will be protected and that they're safe. We were accepted into this country on the grounds that we were escaping abuse and were promised protection by the Irish government. "You're safe now." we were told by the IPO. But when the time came, that protection simply was not there. This miscarriage of justice has to be corrected for Sora's sake and for the sake of every child who has found or are finding themselves at the mercy of Irish Judges who simply wants to quickly brush them under the rug to appease harmful traditionalist beliefs and to look nice and compliant to the EU.
Ireland as a country advertises itself as very progressive in terms of child welfare. Ireland has a very high Human Rights Index as a result. Irish, EU, & UN laws are often cited to assure the people of Ireland, and refugees being protected by Ireland, that children are not only protected but their rights are fought for and their voices (however small) are heard to ensure they are not mistreated regardless of who they are or where they're from. This public-facing stance sadly stands in direct contradiction to how the Irish Courts continue to rule cases in the 21st century. It makes the entire country look two-faced and hypocritical.
"What needs to happen?"
First, and most urgently, the judgement against us, and the accompanying orders (like the court orders demanding that Sora's abuser have physical contact with him even before a ruling was made), needs to be reversed. Sora is being forced to live with one of his abusers and needs to be rescued and returned home to his family at least as quickly as the deportation of a child suffering from trauma was pushed out of the country. That reversal will automatically enable and order the Hague Convention in Japan to locate and repatriate Sora back to Ireland (that is assuming that the mother has not fled her address at the time of deportation and taken Sora into hiding - something that is shockingly common in Japan, and something that I specifically warned about). Reversing the judgement would not be the end of it, or prevent the mother from appealing the decision, but it would put Sora back into a safe situation under my care and allow him to restart his therapy as well as be reunited with his friends and schoolmates. It would also put her on the defense and force her to actually defend her indefensible claims.
Additionally, the following changes need to be permanently made to the Irish legal system:
- Existing cases involving child welfare need to be audited by a neutral third-party to ensure that no others have been ruled in ignorance or dismissal of any standing laws, without a proper investigation of the evidence and the child in question, pushed through the legal system to expedite rulings or to encourage asylum seekers to leave Ireland, or blindly ruled baed on gender, especially if accusations and evidence of child abuse has been presented in the case. Any oversights, infractions, or irregularities found must be brought to the attention of the Irish Government so that those responsible for ruling on those cases are reeducated and/or disbarred as necessary.
- Comprehensive (re)training for all Justices and decision makers within the Irish legal system must take place to ensure that all proper legal procedures are followed, all rights and the dignity of all parties involved are respected, that all evidence is taken into serious consideration and properly evaluated, and every fathomable consideration is made in the child's best interests and absolute top priority is given to providing for the child's immediate needs and that all possible precautions are taken against exposing the child to any additional danger, regardless of the time and cost to the state of Ireland.
- A neutral third-party oversight committee must be formed to monitor cases in the Irish Courts involving children to prevent such completely avoidable and unwanted missteps from happening in the future. The committee must be allowed to follow and oversee all cases in Ireland that involve children, especially in the matters of domestic violence and child abuse. And that committee must have a direct line of communication to the Minister of Justice (and all other relevant government agencies) to allow for immediate intervention and staying of judgements and orders if they believe at any point during the case that the child's welfare and needs are not being made the top priority, that anyone's human and constitutional rights are being violated or ignored, or laws in Ireland that protect children from harm and respect the child's voice are not being enforced for any reason.
By enacting these reasonable and long-overdue checks and balances to existing Irish law, Ireland can actually live up to the public image of itself that it projects to the rest of the world and to the people of Ireland. It will allow the Irish Government to make good on its claim that the victimized and oppressed can find safety within its borders and that it stands firmly in opposition of the evil brutalization of children worldwide. And most importantly, it will prevent vulnerable child abuse survivors who have managed to escape their abusers from being forced back into an abusive environment. This campaign was started for Sora, but will hopefully effect changes and corrections that positively impact many other children.
"How can I help?"
- Please sign this petition and share it with your friends & family online and offline. Click here for a QR link to this page.
- Boost this petition to increase the number of people who will see it.
- Contact the decision makers, if you are an Irish citizen also contact your local MPs, express your concerns and demand the provisions above.
- Donate on GoGetFunding and share that link on social media and with your friends & family.
- Follow me on Mastodon or Bluesky, and please favorite, repost, and promote posts containing the #BringSoraHome hashtag.
- Use the hashtag #BringSoraHome with a link to this petition on other social media platforms to increase awareness of this issue.
- If you have any legal expertise in Ireland or Japan, or know someone who does, please contact me directly.
- If you have the ability to translate between English & Japanese, please contact me directly.
Every single day since I was forced to simply watch Sora get disappeared under threat of me being arrested has been an unparalleled struggle. A precious few, heroic people here in Ireland and online have been the most amazing friends to me and their support has prevented me from being destroyed by grief and anger over what has been allowed to happen. Don't worry about me, worry about Sora. He is in real danger right now and I don't know how to stress that terrifying reality any better than I already have. We need your support, we need your help, please find a way to make even the smallest difference for the greatest challenge of our lives. This has to succeed, it has to. He deserves it, and the other abused children who must go through the Irish legal system to get the help and protection they need deserve it.
Thank you for reading.
Search #BringSoraHome on Mastodon & Bluesky and create a notification and follow my posts there to stay up to date. Please share this petition on all your social media with this hashtag.
The Decision Makers
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on June 24, 2026