The Juvenile Court of L’Aquila (central Italy) temporarily separated three children from their parents because they lived isolated in a cabin in the woods without basic sanitation and the minors did not attend school. The case has aroused great interest in the transalpine country and generated strong controversy at a national level. The children were transferred to a foster home and after a long mediation between social services and the judicial authority, the mother was able to accompany them, while the father remained at home, also to look after the family’s animals.
Catherine Birmingham, a 45-year-old Australian, riding teacher, and her husband Nathan Trevallion, a 51-year-old Englishman, cook and craftsman, lived with their children, an 8-year-old girl and her 6-year-old twins, in a recently purchased and renovated cabin in a wooded area, forty minutes from the city, in Abruzzo. They had installed solar panels to produce energy, they had an electric heating system and a fireplace, but they had no running water, even though it was drinkable, and the bathroom was in a room next to the house, rather than inside.
The couple decided to settle in the countryside to lead a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. They grow the food they eat, draw water from a well and generate electricity with solar panels. They have a horse that the woman brought from Australia, a donkey, cats, chickens and two dogs. Furthermore, they directly taught their children at home, instead of sending them to school.
The case began to gain media coverage earlier this month, when it became known that the Juvenile Court was investigating their situation and would soon make a decision on the future of the three minors. The justice system was investigating their case, even though they were living in those conditions by their own decision and there were no signs of child abuse.
It all started in September last year, when the family suffered severe poisoning from eating poisonous mushrooms. On that occasion they called the emergency services, who took them to hospital. The health workers also alerted the judicial authority and the social services were activated, who inspected the house several times, warning that the house does not have a certificate of occupancy.
This week, the court, at the request of the juvenile prosecutor’s office, decided to suspend custody of the minors, arguing that the house does not have an internal bathroom and that the children do not have social interactions, nor can they play freely with other children. The judges also sanctioned the fact that parents chose to teach their children at home and practice what is defined as home education.
