A national scandal. A global crisis. A multi billion-pound industry built on secrecy, silence, and suffering.
Every week, thousands of families are torn apart behind closed doors. In the UK — and across the world — secretive family courts and their agencies are enabling emotional abuse, domestic abuse, false allegations, and the systematic erasure of safe, loving parents and families from their children’s lives—for profit.
This isn’t just a “family matter.” This is institutionalised harm. The system profits. UK family lawyers alone generate over £1.4 billion a year. Meanwhile, the court backlog has exploded to over 100,000 cases, and the cost of broken families to the public purse has reached £44 billion annually. False allegations, delays, and coercive control are routinely ignored, while loving parents are financially drained, traumatised, and criminalised. And yet — the government stays silent. Mothers, Fathers, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Carers and always — Children. All erased, silenced, traumatised — while lawyers, courts and agencies profit from the chaos, everyone is targeted — working, middle and upper classes, LGBTQ+ high-profile individuals — no one is immune.
Losing a living loved one — especially a child or parent — inflicts deep psychological trauma. The brain registers it as physical abuse. And yet victims are silenced. Some, tragically, to the point of suicide.
This documentary isn’t just about the UK. It’s already a global issue affecting over 100 million people, we’re working with families and campaigners in Australia, the US and Canada. The same failures. The same cover-ups. The same pain — exported worldwide. 
Over 500,000 people signed petitions in one year alone. One campaign gathered nearly 300,000 signatures. Still, no change.
Systemic Failure — or Systemic Design?
Reports of collusion, corruption, and misconduct are growing — not just from parents, but from insiders.
The agencies involved include:
- The Family Court Judiciary
- CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)
- CMS (Child Maintenance Service)
- Social Services & Police forces
- The SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority)
- The Legal Ombudsman
- Resolution (the family lawyers' association)
- Medical experts and court-appointed psychologists
- Barristers and chambers with undisclosed conflicts of interest
As Sir Bob Geldof stated in 2009, together, these institutions form a self-regulating ecosystem that punishes whistleblowers, ignores safeguarding failures, and enables abuse to go unchecked — while hiding behind “secrecy” and “family law protocol.” This isn’t mothers vs. fathers. It’s a system that hides abuse, rewards false claims, and profits from destroying families, communities, and our national wellbeing.
Stephen Carpenter, the director of LOVE V LAW. After six years in the courts, endless hearings appeals, hearing from thousands of others, letters to Lords, Ladies, and so-called gentlemen and judicial complaints dismissed without proper investigation—we discovered what millions of families already knew: the system isn’t just broken; it appears to be broken by design.
Nawal Houghton, presenter, trained lawyer and divorce coach, has seen the destruction and systemic silencing victims face. She wants too expose the truth and fight for a system that protects families, not profits from their pain.
We’ve met thousands of others, including a celebrity who was denied contact with a parent for over 30 years. This is trauma on a national scale, but the victims are told to stay quiet — or be punished. This isn’t just private pain — it’s a national scandal, on par with the Post Office cover-up. Denying its existence makes us complicit in its harm. What we’re living through isn’t isolated incompetence. It’s systemic failure — a national scandal hiding in plain sight.
Society has been conditioned by family lawyers to believe separation must be expensive, complicated, and encourage conflict. Most family court judges are family lawyers. They tell us it’s acceptable for children to risk losing meaningful contact with one parent. Fathers have been targeted for years—now, lawyers are rubbing their hands together doubling their income targeting mothers, and always children.
We’ve done all of this with no funding — driven only by belief. But now, we need your help to finish production, ensure legal safety, and amplify the truth. Even £5 could help change lives. Together, we can expose a system that hides abuse, incentivises separation, and denies basic human rights to millions. This is for our mothers, fathers, grandparents relatives, communities—for our children. For justice.
Why This Film?
- We need to inform the public of what is happening, the scandal of victims silenced for decades. We need change society's understanding of the Family courts and associated agencies, warn them and reform it.
What’s the Problem?
- Parental Alienation = coercive control + emotional child abuse.
- Courts dismiss or deny it despite legal and medical recognition.
- Secrecy hides misconduct: corrupt lawyers and unchecked judges.
- Police often redirect victims back to family litigation.
- Complaints rejected due to delays, trauma, or secrecy.
What the Film Will Expose:
- How coercive control and false allegations are weaponised.
- How courts, CPS, social services, and regulators pass the buck.
- How secrecy protects those in power — not families.
- Real victims. Real whistleblowers. Real reform needed.
- Failure to protect child victims of emotional abuse.
Our Reform Goals:
- Shared parenting by default (unless real safeguarding risks).
- Urgent hearings within 14 days if contact is cut.
- One judge per family for consistency.
- Penalties for false allegations.
- Move abuse cases to criminal courts.
- Overhaul CAFCASS/social services.
- Training for police, teachers, social workers on coercive/emotional abuse.
- Fair retrials for refused appeals.
- Stop CMS from incentivising family breakdown.
Why Now?
- Our country is going through a crisis, everything and everyone is being blamed and scrutinised expect how we treat our children and families.
- Our Commissioner for Children has stated we are letting our children down.
- New transparency rules allow limited reporting on family courts.
- But redactions remain. Transparency is rare.
- Victims are now speaking up.
- This is a critical moment to expose and reform the system.
What Your Support Funds (Even £5!):
- Filming & Production – Victims, experts, interviews
- Post-Production – Editing, visuals, graphics
- Legal Compliance – Protecting contributors
- Marketing & Outreach – Global push, festivals, media
- Admin – Research, Travel, crew, studio,
- Historical Costs – 6+ years, 10,000+ hours of unpaid work
We’ve done all of this with no funding — driven only by belief. But now, we need your help to finish production, ensure legal safety, and amplify the truth. Even £5 could help change lives (the cost of a coffee of two). together, we can expose a system that hides abuse, incentivises separation, and denies basic human rights to millions. For our mothers. For our fathers. For our grandparents. For our children. For justice.
Legal Reform & Public Accountability
Your support will also help fund crucial steps toward systemic reform, including:
- A formal submission to the Justice Select Committee calling for an urgent, independent inquiry into the failures of the UK Family Court system and all associated agencies — including CAFCASS, the CMS, police, regulatory bodies, and legal institutions.
- Applications for Transparency Orders on specific cases where vital evidence and judicial decisions have been hidden from public view — despite being in the clear public interest. These legal applications aim to expose systemic abuse, promote judicial accountability, and protect families from further harm.
By backing this campaign, you are not just helping fund a film — you're contributing to real legal change.
If You Can't Donate
- Share: This campaign with your networks.
- Amplify: Use the hashtag #LoveVLaw
- Connect: Introduce us to whistleblowers, funders, influencers, journalists.
This documentary will be a permanent, public record of what victims have been silenced from saying for decades. Help us get it made. This is our line in the sand. We Want to Hear From You:
- Alienated children (18+)
- Parents failed by courts or police
- Litigants silenced or ignored
- Whistleblowers: lawyers, judges, clerks, social workers, police (you can reach out to our Whistleblower charity Protect for support))
- Journalists blocked from publishing truth.
If We Exceed Our Target:
- Launch an international edition.
- Complete documentary and interviews even if target is missed.
Final Note
- This is not-for-profit, donation-based, and does not offer equity or return. All claims based on lived experience, expert input, and verified public data. Contact: contact @ lovevlaw.com
Human Rights at Risk:
- Article 3 – Inhuman or degrading treatment is prohibited (European Convention on Human Rights).
- Article 6 – Right to a fair and public hearing by an independent tribunal (ECHR).
- Article 8 – Right to respect for private and family life (ECHR).
- Article 10 – Freedom of expression, including the right to receive and impart information (ECHR).
- Equality Act 2010 – Protects individuals from discrimination and ensures reasonable adjustments are made for disabilities or trauma.
- Istanbul Convention – Requires protection from all forms of psychological and emotional abuse.
- Same-sex parents: Families of all structures must be protected equally. Emotional abuse, alienation, or discriminatory rulings affecting LGBTQ+ parents violate the same legal and human rights.
- UNCRC Article 3 – The best interests of the child must be a top priority.
- UNCRC Article 5 – Respect for parental roles and evolving capacities of the child.
- UNCRC Article 7 – The right to know and be cared for by both parents.
- UNCRC Article 8 – Right to identity, name, and family relationships.
- UNCRC Article 9 – Right not to be separated from parents unless truly necessary.
- UNCRC Article 12 – Child’s voice must be heard, but caution when views may be manipulated.
- UNCRC Article 18 – Both parents share responsibility; state should support them.
- UNCRC Article 19 – Protection from all forms of abuse, including emotional manipulation.
Are you a funder, philanthropist, or organisation interested in supporting the campaign at scale or collaborating as a sponsor or strategic partner?
We welcome aligned partnerships that help us bring this urgent documentary to life and ensure maximum impact. Email: contact @ lovevlaw.com (Note: This Crowdfunder campaign is donation-based and does not offer equity or financial return. For private sponsorship or investment discussions, contact us directly.)
Important Note: This page has been developed over a seven-year period, and all data was accurate at the time of publication. All statements are based on lived experience, research, and collected testimony. Allegations are made in good faith and reflect the views of those affected. Most footage was recorded with permission for public use. Additional footage has been sourced for this pitch trailer and credited wherever possible. This project is in the fundraising stage, is not generating revenue, and may never do so. Videos and images used for commentary and documentary purposes under fair use. Contact us for concerns. If you believe your content has been used and wish to be credited or removed, contact us at contact @ lovevlaw.com and we will address your request promptly.