The Beatings Will Continue
Yanelin Montalvo-Valdez (yesterday Star Tribune) personifies the pain and punishment heaped upon the 50 innocent children I advocated for as a CASA Guardian ad Litem volunteer in Hennepin County Child Protection (CPS).
Born into toxic homes of drugs, violence, trauma and abuse, “lucky” children are fostered, unlucky (invisible) children get nothing. Many if not most invisible children take their abuse with them to the grave without saying anything to anyone about the childhood trauma that caused a lifetime of anxiety, fear, and pain.
Yanelin left foster care with a black plastic bag of belongings unprepared for the world. Her past quickly brought her a felony charge for prostitution that caused her another lifetime of punishment. Rejected at shelters, refused for rental property, denied employment opportunities, and preyed on by people sensing her distress in obtaining basic needs.
How would you unteach sexual activity or drug use to a twelve year old that has been sexually active since she was repeatedly molested in her birth home from the age of eight? What happens to a child in the birth home is normal to her.
The same reality exists for boys growing up with violence, crime, and drugs. Children get no book on “normal” growing up. Children from toxic homes see the world very differently than those born into healthy families.
Safe foster homes are not guaranteed. Nationally, between 25-40% of fosters have been sexually abused in foster care. Group home fosters are likely even higher. This CASA’s Frontline quality video about foster group homes in Florida tells a severe but not uncommon story about group homes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXCByofJ9D0&ab_channel=MariFrankel
Yanelin’s experience with Childhood trauma, CPS, and Criminal Justice is one long punishment that follow her to this day. Her story is the story slightly altered by many if not most of the poor children in my CASA caseload.
Who wins? Who is responsible for this ? Certainly not the people doing the work.
These are systemic failures that serve no good purpose. In fact, it can be argued that these institutions are creating what they were designed to stop. Please share this article with your State Representative – Change won’t come until lawmakers awaken to the need for better answers of healing and skill building and less punishment in CPS, Schools and Courts.
Find your State Rep here:https://www.gis.lcc.mn.gov/iMaps/districts/
Please share this widely.
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