Introduction

This story is a mixture of judicial arbitrariness, blind spots in the law, slanderous dramatizations, and unfair accusations. It is a conflict that has gone beyond the boundaries of one family and linked the fate of hundreds of people across the country and beyond. This is a story that has been long overdue to be told and a subject that desperately needs to be addressed.

The author of the book - Vesta Spivakovsky - a journalist, columnist, television and radio host - faced a problem that became a very real disaster, but remains invisible to most citizens of the country. In 2010, her ex-husband took upon himself to forever alienate her from her daughter.

Purpose of the Book

This book is not just an authorial confession. Its task is to bring the problem of family kidnapping and PAS (Parental Alienation Syndrome) into the field of public discussion. It is dedicated to parents who are in a similar situation but do not despair and do not give up. And also to all those who care about it at the legislative, social, and personal level.

Legislative and Social Context

"Family kidnapping" in Russia not only shows a considerable hole in the legislation but became a full-on disaster, invisible to most citizens of the country. The lack of reaction of the legislation forced Vesta to make her personal tragedy public in order to again force the government to pay attention to the lack of existing legal mechanisms in resolving family conflicts.

Statistics and Current Situation

According to international human rights organizations in Russia, between forty-seven and fifty-five thousand minor children disappear every year. "Family kidnapping" in Russia is still not regulated at the legislative level and is discouraged as a topic of discussion in the current political environment.