It took a Latvian two years to recover the children from the father living in the USA

There are few legal instruments to help women who have experienced emotional and physical violence abroad and are fighting for the right of children to return to Latvia. If a woman finds herself in such a situation, she is alone and powerless against the judiciary of a foreign country. Latvia does not formally have the right to intervene in the proceedings of another country. This has also been felt by Daina Russo, who for two years in the United States tried to get children to come to Latvia.

Tears in the eyes of Daina Russo. Until boarding, she was unsure whether the troika would be able to leave the United States. The divorced man changed his mind all the time.

“As soon as there was a dispute or something, he basically blackmailed me with the children. How did you like something [teica] – you will not go to Latvia, everything, children stay here. The children are now older, they shouted that they would not stay, they would go with their mother, ”said Daina.

The song’s misfortune begins two years ago. The marriage was not yet officially divorced. But an agreement was made with her husband about the location of the children – during school they live in Latvia, and in the summer – with their father in the USA. Everything was fine until one day the children went to the United States with their grandmother and Daina joined later. When she arrived in the United States, the woman was issued a court order banning her son and daughter from approaching.

“You are in a state of shock, and in such a situation you lack information, lack understanding, experience. And you fall, trusting a local lawyer, who promised that in a couple of months it will be arranged, the children will return to Latvia and the marriage will be divorced. Let’s sort out the property issue. But that was not all. A children’s lawyer came in, and like the Americans, the great patriots believe that the best place to be is in the United States, ”said Daina.

Daina Russo contacted the Latvian Embassy, ​​but received an answer that Latvia does not intervene in family disputes and does not have the resources to help. The Covid-19 pandemic began, but Daina had neither a job nor a means of subsistence. She decided to leave the United States and continue the fight for children from Latvia.

“I had to leave the children for a year because I couldn’t do anything legally.

Neither through the US judiciary nor through the fact that I had evidence that children were neglected. Nor can I do anything. He is a father and he has rights, ”said Daina.

However, also in Latvia, Daina ran into the fact that different institutions sent to each other. In the end, the dispute was settled by voluntary agreement between the two parties. Now the children will have to re-enter the Latvian education system, because they have not been here for two years.

For women who find themselves in a similar situation abroad, Daina advises not to rely on local lawyers: “Be more persistent. For example, the embassy tells me that they do not know that they are not interfering. Call at least 10 times and say you have to intervene. Also be more persistent towards the Ministry of Justice. “

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