Tears of joy and gratitude – thank you for believing in me.

Dear MTÜ Naerata Ometi,

I don’t even know how to begin this letter. My heart is filled with a whirlwind of emotions, but above all, I feel immense gratitude. Putting this feeling into words in a way that truly conveys its depth seems almost impossible.

My deepest respect and sincerest thanks! You didn’t just change my life—you changed the life of my 8-year-old son. All these years, I cried myself to sleep, unable to ease my pain, but now, that chapter is over. It’s truly over, and I still can’t quite believe it.

What does it feel like to live a full and meaningful life without the constant, unbearable anguish in my heart? I don’t remember anymore. That suffocating anxiety had become such a big part of my life that it felt normal. But thanks to you, that no longer has to be my reality. Words cannot express my gratitude!

My son is coming home. He is truly coming home.

This was made possible by Jaanika Reilik-Bakhoff. I believe that even Jaanika herself may not fully grasp what she has accomplished. This wasn’t just a family law case—it was the chance for my son to finally return home and grow up with his brother and his mother.

I have encountered many lawyers and legal professionals throughout this case, but truly—such professionalism, kindness, and sincerity as Jaanika’s is rare to find in the legal field. She made the impossible possible.

A Five-Year Battle

For nearly five years, we weren’t just fighting in court for the sake of it. The favoritism and nepotism that determined my son’s fate still feel utterly surreal to me.

If someone had told me years ago that my child could be taken away from me without warning, without any prior meetings or explanations, I would never have believed it. It’s simply too brutal. Yet, living in a small town where everyone knows each other, I now know from my own experience that it is possible.

This was never about justice; it was about who had more influential connections to sway child protection services—and, in turn, the court system itself.

To this day, I am haunted by the thought: How was it possible to take a child away from his mother without a single warning and place him with a person who had cruelly abused her own five children? This wasn’t some hidden secret—it was well known.

She was under criminal investigation because my sisters had been hospitalized due to severe beatings and starvation. I was the last of the children who had once pleaded with child protection, through tears, to get me out of that home.

And yet, my son was handed over to the same woman. My son, too, developed serious behavioral problems there. How could these facts be ignored in a country that claims to uphold justice?

It’s Finally Over

This entire system was built in such a way that, legally, my sister was my son’s guardian, but in reality, it was my mother who raised him. My sister, however, received all financial benefits. This wasn’t a secret—it was known to child protection services and the courts.

How could this happen? And how could it continue for years?

These questions will always weigh on me.

But today, it is finally over. I am trying my best to move forward and think about it as little as possible. I am trying to find some peace in my heart and even some gratitude toward my mother—because, despite everything, she was there for my son when I couldn’t be.

She is now nearly at retirement age, and I know it wasn’t easy for her either. Our views on parenting differ greatly, but it is time to let go of the negativity. I am choosing gratitude, and from now on, I will do everything I can to make up for the years my son spent without his mother.

Justice Has Prevailed!

Of course, I cannot put all officials and child protection workers in the same category.

Over the years, multiple child protection officers were involved in this case. The first one was my mother’s close friend. Even though she was eventually removed from the case, she remained the head of the entire child protection department, allowing everything to continue as it had.

The final child protection worker, assigned after my mother’s friend left, did her job with a genuine heart. She truly understood what had happened and refused to go along with the lies. She genuinely cared about my son’s well-being.

With recent scandals surrounding child protection agencies, it is becoming increasingly evident just how much personal connections influence decisions in such cases.

It deeply saddens me that such things are possible in our small country. And I don’t even dare to think about how many other women and men have been in the same situation as I was.

MTÜ Naerata Ometi and Jaanika, thank you!

Before reaching out to you, I had already been fighting in court for years. I had been struggling endlessly, paying enormous legal fees—all with no results.

I still remember the moment when, with Jaanika’s help, we won our first case in the lower court. I broke down in tears, collapsing at home from the sheer relief and joy.

When the decision was appealed, I completely fell apart mentally.

I wanted to give up. I ignored your calls, I avoided Jaanika—I simply couldn’t talk to anyone anymore.

But you believed in me. You threw me a lifeline and helped me find Jaanika. You also made sure that the financial side of the legal battle was covered. And that was not a small amount of money.

And now, the day has finally come—the Supreme Court has ruled that I am fully fit to have sole custody of my child.

I have dreamed of this moment for so many years, and I still cannot believe that it’s real.

I will never have to say goodbye to my son again. He and his brother will grow up together and experience a true childhood. I will never again have to hear his heartbreaking cries or feel him clinging to me, begging me not to leave.

You made the impossible happen.

Thank you! We cherish this opportunity deeply, and we will never take it for granted. You have reunited a family!

Even as I write this letter, the tears are flowing… but for the first time, they are tears of joy. ❤️

Wishing you all the best in the future and may you continue to bring hope to those who need it most!

At the beginning of 2024, our organization (MTÜ Naerata Ometi) started a support project for a young woman caught in a complex and prolonged legal battle to regain custody of her child. We launched an assistance program, which you can read about [HERE], and we are deeply grateful to everyone who supported us at that time.

Special thanks to Jaanika Reilik-Bakhoff and Pallo & Partnerid Law Office, who led this challenging case to a victorious and just conclusion.

This is a case where justice has truly prevailed—not just on paper, but in the hearts of those involved. This was not merely a legal win but the restoration of a mother and child’s life, a triumph of hope and love. 💛