Mother cries for justice from UK-based court

A mother of two is crying for justice from a London-based court to give custody of her children back to her.

The mother, a Liberian now resident in Ghana walked into the offices of e.tv Ghana to narrate the ordeal she has had to go through in the last three years whilst in the UK in an attempt to rescue her children, 8 and 6 from the hands of foster parents.

Agnes Malano, who looked very emotionally unstable, explained that whilst in the UK her son, who was then five years old, sustained an injury from hot water in the kitchen.

She said, he was quickly rushed to the Chelsea and Westminster hospital by his father (also a Liberian) and upon arrival the hospital authorities called the social service and police to arrest the father for deliberately causing harm to the boy.

She said, her husband was further charged and sentenced to 11 months imprisonment and they were told by the social service department that “we wouldn’t be allowed to see our children again until they have turned 18 but we will only get them back through adoption.”

According to Agnes Malano, she was forced to divorce her husband if she insisted on taking custody of her children. However, that has still been denied of her.

She said, “They said I was living with the father who injured the child and so I had to divorce the father and he moved out of the place we live. He was sentenced nine months in prison. He spent four months and is now out.”

“I asked the local authority and social service that everything you want me to do I am ready to do it but they still refused that they can’t give the children back and I had to say that I saw the dad injuring the children. They want me to say that, yes whatever they say is true before they give me back the children,” she lamented.

Agnes Malano narrated the uncountable times she had had to go to court to appeal for her children to be given back to her.

“We went to court for several times and they placed a placement order to get someone to adopt the children. My auntie wanted to adopt the children but she later said she couldn’t because she can’t see why they can’t give me back the children and she doesn’t know what I did wrong.”

She explained that before her arrival in Ghana on August 29, her lawyer, whose name she only gave as Seema, “went to the Royal Court of Justice in London to appeal but the permission to appeal again was refused for the second time.”

“Now I have been travelling all over and as I came to Ghana I know nobody,” she added.

Agnes Malano is therefore asking Ghanaians and the entire world to judge her actions as a mother “and for them to tell me what I have done wrong. If after judging me they point out my wrong, then I will sit down for them to do what they want. Otherwise, I want my children back! This is forced adoption!”