Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2210

Tonight's special guest is Maralee McLean from Colorado, author of 'Prosecuted But Not Silenced: Courtroom Reform for Sexually Abused Children.' She's a child advocate, protective parent, domestic violence expert, professional speaker, and author. When Maralee fought to have her daughter taken away from her sexually-abusive father, a court-adopted unproven hypothesis Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) placed gag orders from discussing her case. Mothers trying to protect their children are typically labeled as PAS, and vocal mothers are often punished by the courts, removing their abused children from their custody and mandating that they live with the perpetrator. Since the 1990s, no changes have taken place to stop this practice, and the broken Family Courts system continues to enforce this practice as policy. Now, Maralee fights for children's rights, to change the laws in family courts, and to protect children. She has written articles for the ABA Child Law Journal, Women's E-News and other publications; is with Women's Media Center (WMC), SheSourceExpert and NPEIV (National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence); and is on the RAINN speaker bureau and All-American Speakers. She organized a National Rally of Mothers at the Colorado State Capitol and has been involved in legislative work that spans over two decades. She testified before Congress to promote judicial accountability to better protect sexually-abused children's rights in our courts. Maralee's story has been covered by many media outlets and internationally on CNN.