It's always a parent's worst nightmare to learn that his or her child is being hurt, neglected or abused by another individual. This anguish is often compounded if the person who's causing harm to the child is the child's other parent. Often parents are unsure how to best deal with the situation, especially if the parents are ex-spouses or co-parents abiding by the terms of a court ordered visitation and child custody arrangement.
If you are in such a situation, where you know or have reason to believe that your child or children are being abused by your ex-spouse during visitation, there are steps that you can and likely should take to protect your children. First, if there is ever a situation where your children are at risk of imminent bodily harm or injury, contact the authorities immediately. Second, although it may be very tempting to do so, you should refrain from attempting to limit or interfere with your ex-spouses parenting time with your children, because doing so would be a violation of the court's custody and visitation order and would subject you to a possible contempt citation. Although you may not interfere with the violation of the court's order concerning parenting time, if you have concerns about your children's safety while they are in the care or your ex-spouse, you should contact a Georgia child custody attorney as soon as possible to discuss filing an emergency petition for modification of custody. Filing an emergency petition for modification of custody and visitation will ensure that the court will hear and rule on the matter more quickly, which is essential in matters where the safety and welfare of children is involved.