UK court dismisses 14-year-old boy’s case against parents over relocation to Ghana

A High Court in London, United Kingdom, has dismissed the case of a 14-year-old boy who sued his parents for relocating him from London to Ghana to attend boarding school.

The incident reportedly took place in March 2024 when the boy, born in Britain and described in court as shy, articulate, a keen cook, and a footballer, was allegedly tricked by his parents into travelling to Ghana under the pretext of visiting a sick relative.

He argued in court that had he known about their intention to enrol him in a boarding school, he would have refused the move, stating:

There would have been no way I would have agreed to it.

The boy further claimed that he was worse off educationally and socially in Ghana. In a written statement to the court, he expressed his distress:

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I feel like I am living in hell. I really do not think I deserve this, and I want to come home, back to England, as soon as possible.

Desperate to return, he contacted the British High Commission in Accra and reached out to the charity Children and Families Across Borders, who reportedly put him in touch with lawyers at the International Family Law Group.

His parents, however, defended their decision in court, stating that they were concerned about their son's safety and feared he was being groomed into criminal activity.

His father told the court that he did not want his son to become "yet another Black teenager stabbed to death in the streets of London."

His mother also justified their decision, insisting that sending him to Ghana was "not a punishment but a measure to protect him." She referenced the murder of Kelyan Bokassa, a 14-year-old boy who was stabbed to death on a bus in Woolwich in January, calling it "every parent's worst nightmare."

His parents further revealed that two years prior, when the boy was 12 years old, he had transitioned from being a conscientious and hardworking student to a rebellious adolescent who began skipping school and getting into fights. His school had even suspended him for two days.

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In his judgement, Justice Hayden criticised the parents for their underhanded tactics but ultimately ruled in their favour, concluding that the boy was at greater risk in Britain than in Ghana.

The judge stated:

I recognise that this is, in many ways, both a sobering and rather depressing conclusion.

The court’s decision underscores the difficult balance between parental authority and a child's rights, particularly in cases involving cultural differences and concerns over safety.