My name is Marina I., and I am the mother of three daughters – Johanna, Vera, and Magdalena.

For seven years, my children and I have been experiencing immeasurable violence.
Our attempt to escape this suffering last year led to institutional persecution and renewed abuse – right in the middle of Germany.
Despite numerous pieces of evidence, witness statements, and medical and psychiatric reports, my daughters were taken away from me and placed in the hands of those who had previously intimidated them.

Vera, a cheerful girl from Serbia with bright blue eyes, plays the violin.
She was abused by her stepfather when she was only four years old.
Although she is not his biological daughter, he was supported by the system – and Vera was taken away from me as punishment for standing up for the truth legally and on my own.

Until recently, I was her only legal guardian.
Tears ran down her cheeks when she learned of the decision, while we were hiding for eight weeks – from the man who had threatened to take her life.
He now hopes to obtain custody of his biological children (a violent alcoholic and drug user), while Vera is to remain permanently in an institution.

Johanna, my youngest daughter, is a child with special needs (developmental stage 3).
Through years of daily work with me and specialized therapists, she learned to speak – until the age of three, she had not said a single word.
With continuous support, she was eventually able to attend school together with her twin sister.
We learned to find joy in even the smallest things.

This year alone, she had to undergo two major surgeries, and a third one is still ahead.
But since being separated from me, her treatment and stability have been interrupted.
She had never slept without me before.
I miss her little hands around my neck – every night.

Magdalena, cheerful and brave, was forced a year ago to testify falsely against me.
Her twin sister fortunately did not understand the threats – but Magdalena did.
And she suffered immensely because of it.

Insomnia, bedwetting, and neurodermatitis are just a few of the consequences of this trauma.
When she finally found the courage to tell the truth – that she had been threatened and intimidated by the system – the court did not respond with protection, but with relentless persecution against me and my children.
Meanwhile, their father continued to pursue us.

Magdalena developed what is known as the “camera syndrome” – a deep fear of being watched and harmed.
She was threatened that if she ever told the truth, she would be sent to a home where “something terrible” would happen to her – and yet she spoke.

We were denied access to women’s shelters; every form of protection was taken from us.
Eventually, the police issued a search warrant for my three daughters as “missing” and declared me a “fugitive criminal” – just to violently take them away from me and silence us.

On the same day the police were searching for us “to locate us,” another team was searching for us to protect us – because the father had attacked the son of our long-time friends with a knife.

Only five days ago, my children were taken out of school without valid documents and handed over to those who had previously threatened them.
I do not know where they are now.
The father and stepfather do.

Today, under enormous pressure and in constant fear, completely alone and without protection,
my daughters can no longer speak the truth about their mother.
But I know that deep in their hearts – despite the fear – love and the memory of our shared moments still live on.

No matter what happens, a mother loves endlessly,
and I will never give up this fight.

That is why I have filed a complaint before the European Court of Human Rights
(Ilić v. Germany, No. 31933/25).

What I miss most are Johanna’s little hands, which never fell asleep without wrapping around my neck.
A child with special needs, unlawfully separated from her mother and treated as if she were a healthy child.
My heart has been broken into three pieces, yet it is strong enough to beat again together with theirs.

To protect my children and give them safety, they urgently need an independent and fearless lawyer –
someone who will not yield to pressure, who has the courage to stand up to the system and defend the truth already supported by extensive evidence.

The goal of this campaign is to raise €10,000
to hire a strong lawyer who will fight for justice, protect my daughters, and finally bring them back to safety and love.

Every donation, even the smallest, brings us closer to the day
when three little hearts will be safe again – and a mother can hold her daughters in her arms once more.

Thank you to everyone who understands that this is not a gift for me –
but a gift for them.

(In the picture: Johanna’s drawing – “Mama, Magdalena, Vera, Johanna come!” – a child’s call for her mother.)