Kelly's Fight: Changing Laws for Abuse Survivors

0:00On April 29th, Kelly Higgins, a 40-year-old survivor of child abuse, is pushing hard for a major law change. Her birth mother, Bernadette McNilli, got life in prison back in 1993 for her role in the brutal torture and murder of. 16-year-old Suzanne Kapper and Manchester. Even after Kelly and her little brother went into foster care at ages 7 and 5, McNilli still had to approve big decisions like overseas trips or ear piercings that control lingered for years, even from behind bars. Kelly remembers the screens from that horrific crime happening in their home plus the beating she and her brother endure tied to chairs, hit with. Belts, sometimes ending up in the hospital, reports to social services and police went nowhere and her mom was never charged for abusing them. In mess with their heads big time, Kelly describes these prison visits as pure manipulation where the abuser flips to loving mode, leaving kids torn and traumatized. Her foster mom, Sue Williams, now 73, called it heartbreaking tears, going in, tears coming out, fighting those mixed feelings every time.

1:07The Ministry of Justice says protecting kids is priority 1, and they rolled out changes in the victims and courts bill. That includes stripping parental rights from those convicted of rape leading to a child, serious sexual offenses with 4 plus year sentences, or killing a partner with shared kids. Family courts are shifting away from assuming contact with both parents is always best. But Kelly argues it doesn't cover enough ground for physical abuse survivors with scars and burns. She believes handing full rights to foster parents would draw more cares and break that cycle of control for good.