Phillips flags parental alienation and calls for ‘targeted’ training

The Shadow Minister for Justice, Elliott Phillips, has called for the targeted training of Gibraltar’s judiciary, lawyers and other professionals to better recognise instances of parental alienation.

Parental alienation involves the psychological and emotional manipulation of a child with the sole purpose of destroying the loving relationship they once shared with a parent.

It is an issue that arises from family breakdowns and custody disputes and is a growing phenomenon that Mr Phillips hopes to raise awareness of and the “devastating” consequences it can have on children as well as the ‘alienated’ parent.

“One of the things that concerns me the most is that we are really at the embryonic stage of all of this in Gibraltar,” Mr Phillips said highlighting how the United States, in particular, has gone leaps and bounds in recognising and identifying parental alienation syndrome.

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