"It's like a never-ending nightmare," says Stefanie from Dortmund as she tells how she lost custody of her son. According to the court ruling, she had too close a bond with her son and was attachment intolerant. In 2021, around 14,600 mothers and fathers lost custody of their child. This is what the Federal Statistical Office has determined. This often happens when the dispute over the child between the parents escalates after a separation to the point that joint custody is no longer possible. But who does the family court then deprive of custody from and for what reason? Author Justine Rosenkranz goes on a research trip for the ARD story and repeatedly comes across the terms parent-child alienation and attachment intolerance. And she meets women who have had custody revoked for precisely these reasons. One of them is Steffi from Dortmund. In 2020, the court took her son away from her. He was four years old at the time. Since then, the deputy head of a kindergarten has been fighting to be allowed to see her son for more than three hours in two weeks. The court accused her of having a relationship with her son that was too close and of inciting him against his father to such an extent that the boy refused to go with him when he picked him up on his visitation days. Anna, who does not want to give her real name, has also lost custody of her son. The social worker suspected that her four-year-old son was being sexually abused by his father during visitation. Anna went to a clinic to have the boy examined by experts. There, the suspicion of sexual abuse was confirmed and the youth welfare office was notified, which reported the father. The father denied the accusation and the public prosecutor's office closed the investigation due to a lack of evidence. An expert appointed by the court later diagnosed Anna with a mental disorder and suspected that she wanted to alienate the child from the father. "When I got to the daycare, two employees from the youth welfare office were there and suddenly told me that my son was now being taken to the child's father and I left the room and my son was gone. Just gone." The youth welfare office now has custody, and Anna is fighting in court to get it back. In her search for clues, the author meets experts who have been intensively dealing with the topic of parent-child alienation and attachment intolerance for years. While some view parent-child alienation as emotional abuse of the child, there are others who reject the alienation theory as unscientific. Who is right? And above all, what is best for the child in a custody dispute? 👍 If you liked this video, give us a like! ______ 🎥 A film for the ARD Story by Justine Rosenkranz. This film was produced in 2023. All statements and facts correspond to the status at the time and have not been updated since then. ______ 📺 More documentaries in the ARD Mediathek: https://1.ard.de/yt_doku?yt=d More documentaries on the topic: 💚 Children of divorce: When separation turns into war - • Children of divorce: When separation turns into... 💚 16 years in a children's home - Michael wants out - • 16 years in a children's home - Michael wants out... 💚 My child lives in a home - • My child lives in a home WDR documentary 💚 Life without parents: Growing up in a children's home - • Life without parents: Growing up in a child... 💚 Separated parents: When the child does not live with the mother - • Separated parents: When the child does not... ______ #Custody #Alienation #WDRDoku #Separation #AttachmentIntolerance