Children lost : three tragedies

A searing film about three Swedish women whose children were seized. But are we outraged because the children were kidnapped by their foreign fathers and taken to Pakistan, Tunisia and Israel? Or because of the emotional register of the film and its inadequate factual reporting? Or is it upsetting because theses women are struggling entirely on their own (“There must be something wrong with a woman who loses her children”)? “Children Lost” immediately made news on TV and in the daily press. Among staff at Swedish Television, the programme was highly controversial. After the broadcast, it was used as evidence in two court cases, despite SVT1’s opposition. SVT1 has since lodged a complaint with the Swedish Chancellor of Justice. In one trial, the court also coerced producer Noomi Liljefors – against her will – to witness on behalf of the woman concerned. Meanwhile, the children grow up with neither mothers nor fathers, and the women pursue their hopeless, lonely struggle ...