Context (archaeology)

Norm (philosophy)

Suicide prevention

Human factors and ergonomics

Social psychology

Archaeology

Developmental psychology

Medical emergency

Poison control

Psychology

Child custody

Geography

Political science

Criminology

Sociology

Domestic violence

Medicine

Alienation

Intimate partner

Family law

Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law

This paper explores Canadian family law cases involving claims of parental alienation and of family violence from 2014–2018, reporting the data on these claims, their resolution, and their impacts upon custody and access. A close reading of those cases where both alienation and intimate partner violence claims are made reveals troubling patterns in how intimate partner violence is discounted in this context. We suggest that the rise of shared parenting as a dominant norm assists in understanding why alienation has achieved such unquestioned status, and call for greater focus on safety and women’s and children’s voices.

Penalizing women’s fear: intimate partner violence and parental alienation in Canadian child custody cases