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The PETI Secretariat didn’t seem to be in a hurry to discuss our grievances. So we suggested a meeting with the Commission, since they seemed to be unaware of the problem, and out of touch with the realities disconnected parents and children were suffering.
It was a good meeting, no doubt, but what did we achieve? Unfortunately, we will never know. Any communication between the Commission and the UK Government is confidential. The letter that the Children’s Minister Edward Timpson MP wrote back to the Committee as a response was virtually the same one Belinda and I had received before: the law is clear and local councils must stick to it!
How do you move institutional walls of stone, whether in Brussels or in London?
Well, perhaps there is a way. Thanks to one German father who was desperate to see his son in the UK, I found out about this Infringement Notice served on the UK. In other words, the UK Government has been legally warned about violating EU Directive 2011/92 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography.
My Freedom of Information Request on the subject hasn’t resulted in anything yet, but at least www.AsktheEU.org is as well set up as www.WhatDoTheyKnow.com in the UK. They are both great resources for curious minds.
I blogged about our Petitions Committee meeting under this heading: WANTED: Romanian victims of #ChildSnatchUK and #ForcedAdoption for #EU efforts