This season is an incredibly difficult one for Daniel and Bianca Samson, a Christian couple living in Sweden, whose two eldest daughters were taken from them by child protection services over nothing more than their beliefs and values.
In December 2022, their daughters, Sara, 11, and Tiana, 10, were ripped from their home after Sara made a false claim of abuse at school, triggered by her parents’ refusal to allow her a mobile phone and the use of makeup.
Sara later recanted, admitting the claim wasn’t true. But by then, child protection services had already stepped in and unfortunately, never stepped back.
Even after prosecutors found no evidence of abuse, authorities refused to return Sara and Tiana to their parents. Instead, they accused the parents of “religious extremism.” Their reasoning? The Samsons attended church three times a week and set simple boundaries for their children.
For nearly three years, Sara and Tiana have been kept apart from their parents – and even from each other. They have not seen their younger siblings for three years and have been moved between multiple foster homes.
Not surprisingly, their health has suffered as a result. Both girls have battled anxiety and depression, and tragically, their parents have reported that they’ve even attempted suicide.
Former politician and public intellectual, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, recently highlighted the injustice of this case: “What began as a household dispute became an ideological trial. In today’s Europe, parental authority is treated as oppression, Christian duty as danger, and belief itself as a public threat.”
And the consequences of this ideological trial are painfully real. Daniel and Bianca are allowed just one supervised visit per month. They’ve done everything the authorities asked – including completing parenting courses that certified them as capable parents. Yet their daughters remain in state custody.
With support from ADF International, the Samsons have now taken their case to the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that Sweden violated their parental rights and discriminated against them because of their Christian faith.
Sadly, the Samson story is not an isolated case. Across Europe – from Norway to the Netherlands –families have been torn apart, children have suffered, and parents have been stripped of their God-given rights.
The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly condemned states for overreach in the area of child welfare services and for separating children from their parents – and yet these tragedies continue.
But Christmas is a season of hope. A season that reminds us that families matter, and that light shines brightest in the darkness.
Daniel and Bianca are fighting for their daughters. Sara and Tiana are longing for home. And this Christmas, they need your voice, your prayers, and your support more than ever.
Will you stand with Daniel and Bianca to reunite their family? Your generosity enables us to defend parental rights around the world, at no cost to our clients. | 
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