As a personal victim of an unjust system, I have experienced firsthand the shortcomings of the current Guardian ad Litem (GAL) system, which is intended to protect the interests of children in familial legal disputes. Instead, the system often ends up facilitating the continued abuse of children by failing to adequately demand valid proof, thus enabling abusive parents to escape consequence, both legal and financial.

Children are taken from one of their parents and effectively held hostage, with the bar for proof of custody fitness far too low. Even when proof is presented, the system often denies the non-custodial parent the right to supervised, in-person visits, further complicating an already distressing situation.

This is not an isolated problem. A survey conducted by the National Parents Organization, sampled over 2000 parents, and highlighted that 58% of parents felt children were not effectively protected by the GAL system, echoing our sentiments on the issue (National Parents Organization, 2020).

It's time to reform the GAL authority for the sake of our children. The onus of proof should fall upon those who wish to remove children from their parents, ensure firm financial responsibility on all parties involved, and allow for compassionate, supervised visits between non-custodial parents and their children. It must act in the best interest of the child and not loose sentiment of being a human child protection service.

It's time to reform the Guardianship system. Please sign this petition as a step towards protecting our children.