The Juvenile Court in L’Aquila (central Italy) temporarily separated three children from their parents because they live in isolation in a hut in the forest without basic hygiene services and the minors are not in school. The case aroused great interest in the trans-Alpine country and sparked strong debate at the national level. The children were transferred to a shelter, and after a long mediation between social services and judicial authorities, the mother was able to accompany them, while the priest remained at home, also to care for the animals that belong to the family.
Catherine Birmingham, a 45-year-old Australian, riding instructor, and her husband Nathan Trevallion, a 51-year-old Englishman, cook and craftsman, live 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 the Abruzzo region. They had solar panels to generate power, and they had an electric heating system and a chimney, but they had no running water, even if it was potable, and the bathroom was in a room attached to the house, not inside.
The couple made the decision to settle in the countryside to live a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. They grow the food they consume, extract water from wells and generate electricity using solar panels. I have a horse that the woman from Australia wears, a donkey, cats, chickens and dogs. Moreover, they directly taught their children at home, instead of sending them to school.
The case began receiving media attention at the beginning of this month, as it was assumed that the Juvenile Court was investigating the situation and would soon make a decision regarding the future of the three minors. The judicial system was studying their case, even though they lived in these conditions by their own decision and did not show signs of ill-treatment among minors.
It all started in September last year, when the family suffered serious poisoning from ingesting poison darts. On that occasion they contacted emergency services who took them to hospital. The sanitation workers alerted the judicial authorities, and they also activated the social services, which inspected the house on several occasions, and were alerted that the house did not have a certificate of habitability.
This week, based on a request from the inspector of minors, the court decided to suspend custody of the minors, claiming that the house does not have a bathroom inside and that the children do not have social interactions and cannot play with other children freely. Juices are also punished if they choose to teach their children within the context of their home and practice what they know Homeschooling.