Sonya*, a young Aboriginal women went to her local community centre after her ex-partner had assaulted her and taken the two young children.
Sonya was distraught as she did not know where the children were and if they were safe. Sonya and the children had all been victims of serious violence from her ex-partner.
North Queensland Women’s Legal Service (NQWLS) provided urgent assistance to Sonya. NQWLS helped Sonya by preparing court documents seeing an urgent order that the children be returned to her care. By NQWLS working closely with Sonya’s support worker from the community centre, it ensured Sonya didn’t have to keep re-telling her story and reliving her trauma.
The court heard Sonya’s application the same day the documents were filed, and the children were returned to her car the next day. The court also made an order that the children were to live with her and only spend supervised time their their father.
This meant Sonya and her children could live free of violence and safe in the knowledge the children will remain in her care.
*Name changed to protect identity