Legal efforts made on behalf of a nine-year-old girl to prevent her and her mother from being evicted from their home have failed, news agency ANP reports on Thursday.

The girl’s lawyer had used an international treaty on children’s rights in an effort to have the eviction halted.
But the court ruled the responsibility for the child’s welfare lies with her parents, not the banks or legal system which have to decide on the legality of the eviction. It also criticised the mother for attempting to use her daughter as a shield.
The bank which extended the mortgage on the property wants to evict the mother and child because the owner has not paid his mortgage for more than a year. The owner is the ex-partner of the mother.
The court also warned the woman the authorities would intervene if she continued to use her daughter as a pawn.