Fiction vs Family Law: Room and the parental rights of abusers ============================================================== ![Fiction vs Family Law: Room and the parental rights of abusers](https://vardags.com/images/pictures/_360/d53b8a14b1e6cb8d102db0d6673cc4ca.jpeg)In the wake of the Oscars and a very well-deserved win by Brie Larson for her role in *Room*, I'm here to bring you a special *Fiction vs. Family Law*. While I don't think I'm going to give away any more spoilers than the trailer does, I shall warn you anyway, and urge you to watch the film if you haven't already. Should you decide against that, here's a very brief summary: The film opens with Joy and Jack, a mother and son who are being held captive in a single room by a man they call 'Old Nick'. Joy was kidnapped at age 17, and it is quickly revealed that 5 year-old Jack has spent his entire life in the room, as the product of Old Nick's repeated rapes. After some quick thinking and brilliant acting, Joy and Jack escape the room and are rushed to hospital. While there, Jack asks Joy if Old Nick will find them - she assures him that no, he will never come near them ever again. Joy's case is an extreme one; rape is only one of a number of things Old Nick is almost certainly charged with. However, the legal battle is never featured in the film, nor is it important to the narrative. With a case like that you'd like to think that Joy is right, that Old Nick will never see either of them again, but she wouldn't be the first woman ordered to allow her abuser to see their children, at least not under UK law. This time last year, a woman who was tortured in front of her two young sons was [ordered by the courts to send updates](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2954269/Mother-tortured-seven-hours-sons-forced-write-attacker-face-jail-herself.html) regarding the boys to the man who assaulted her - their father. This isn't the first time such a thing has happened, although it is one of the more extreme examples. Family courts have [long been accused](https://www.theguardian.com/law/2012/nov/05/family-courts-domestic-violence-victims) of putting the visitation rights of abusers above those of the other parent, and, in some cases, the children. *Room* focuses on the coping mechanisms that Joy and Jack have cultivated, the changes once they escape, and their relationships with each other, as well as the world around them. Joy's ordeal is undoubtedly a terrible one but, thanks to the script, she lives in a world free of her abuser once she escapes the titular room. Unfortunately for many parents who are victims of partner abuse, this is not always the case. "Ayesha Vardag - Britain's top divorce lawyer." ![The Huffington Post](https://vardags.com/images/logo/huffpost.png) "Ayesha Vardag - Woman of the Year"![GG2](https://vardags.com/images/logo/gg2-3.png) "Leading, Magic Circle law firm."Mr Justice Coleridge "A handful of firms dominate the so-called 'glamour' end of the market ... Vardags"The Times "One of the best divorce lawyers in the country"Marie Claire "Ayesha Vardag - 'diva of divorce' for the world's super rich" ![BBC](https://vardags.com/images/logo/bbc.png) "Dr Stephen Bence is a financial genius."Lewis Marks KC "Ayesha Vardag - the Queen of divorce"Daily Mail "Vardags brilliantly argued my case to a resounding victory"Pauline Chai (client) "Britain's top divorce lawyer" ![The Telegraph](https://vardags.com/images/logo/telegraph.png) More Family Law news -------------------- [Farewell to the FPR as we know it](https://vardags.com/family-law/farewell-fpr "Farewell to the FPR as we know it") [Kesha and Dr Luke: the troubling place where family and contract law intersect](https://vardags.com/family-law/kesha-dr-luke-family-law-contract-law "Kesha and Dr Luke: the troubling place where family and contract law intersect") [Fiction vs Family Law: Room and the parental rights of abusers](https://vardags.com/family-law/room-parental-rights-abusers "Fiction vs Family Law: Room and the parental rights of abusers") [Annulment for non-consummation](https://vardags.com/family-law/annulment-for-non-consummation "Annulment for non-consummation") [Groom seeking groom: the case for gay arranged marriage in modern India](https://vardags.com/family-law/gay-arranged-marriage-india "Groom seeking groom: the case for gay arranged marriage in modern India")