Valuing Other People’s Children

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths

The U.S. rates badly among industrialized nations in how we treat and value children. America is the only nation in the world to not sign the International Rights of the Child Treaty.
Today’s post by Safe Passage for Children of MN shows how badly our state compares to the rest of the nation in protecting at risk children.
“What we do to our children they will do to society”.
This statement is as true today as it was 2000 years ago when Pliny the Elder made it.
All Adults Are the Protector of All Children

Judge Kavanaugh, The Catholic Church, Statistics & Child Sex Abuse

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths

The miserable politics of rape at the highest level in our government are playing out today. Once more, sexual violence is in the spotlight as America’s second recent Supreme Court nominee (Kavanaugh) is being questioned about horrid behaviors of a sexual nature.

This topic has few friends. It remains under the surface until someone makes a painful accusation and the community accepts or rejects the accuser.

Our attention lately has been on the tens of million and hundreds of million dollar verdicts awarded to victims of church sanctioned child abuse (3 billion to date).

Taxes, Children & a Guardian ad Litem’s Perspective

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection

Today’s Miguel Otarola’s Star Tribune attention on the additional 43 million dollars needed to fund these programs should be put into perspective.

One of my CASA guardian ad litem caseload children cost the State and County about 3 million dollars by the time he aged out of foster care – not including the teacher he beat up, student he stabbed and terrible things he did to the 29 foster families he lived with. He contracted AIDS as a teen and will always be a State Ward and high cost to the County. This child will likely end up being a 5 to 10 million dollar tax burden just because

National Suicide Prevention Month and Children

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Mental Health + Over Medication

*Kendrea Johnson was 6 when she suicided by hanging, Gabriel Myer was 7 (both were foster children).

*Only 1 out of 150 suicide attempts by very young children are successful (suicide is hard for a 6 year old to understand and execute).

*99% of those children only succeed in hurting themselves and cementing the feelings of failure and self-hate – none of these children make it into the newspaper or onto nightly news.

No one knows about the 149 children who tried to kill themselves or the hundreds/thousands of foster children that deliberately hurt themselves and others

Only Evil Governments Torture Other People’s (Immigrant) Children

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - US Based

Losing 1475 migrant children as a political statement was an awful example of what America is becoming know for internationally.

Letting Migrant Kids Rot in shabby poorly run centers for months or years stinks of racism & an administration without a conscious.

Boarder agents threatening children with adoption and Drugging them just adds a vile and criminal element to the equation. If these children die will there be consequences?

TC NonViolent Event – Invisible Children September 25th

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, KARA News and Events

September 25th 4 to 5pm – Chapel

Dayton Av Presbyterian Church

217 Mackubin Street Saint Paul, MN 55102

How childhood trauma evolves into chronic illness, dangerous lifestyle & early death and shadows children into adulthood impacting schools, public safety, public health and quality of life in the community.

What we need to know & need to do to interrupt abuse, heal children and fix our community

How Church & State Bigotry Hurts Abused Children

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action

Not just anyone can manage adoption or fostering of children that have been tortured by their caregivers*.

Years of child protection work have proven to me that gay couples are not only wonderful parent choices for abandoned children, but that they may be the very best choice.

As outcasts themselves, the GLBT community knows what frightened and alone means to a child and can relate to fear and anxiety of being different in a harsh environment.

Abused children carry their traumas with them and have mental health issues and behaviors that are often uncontrollable, violent and dangerous to themselves and others.

It takes special people to raise traumatized children.

So when the Church or the State refuse gay couples the right to adopt it eliminates an already inadequate pool of foster/adoption families and leaves abandoned children even more alone and frightened at a time they most need a loving home and family. This is a special kind of cruelty and deserves to be outed. Share this widely.

Catholic Charities of Boston vs. The Vatican (from 2012)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Religion, Politics + the Law

I should know. I was the chairman of the board of directors for Catholic Charities of Boston.

I feel compelled to set the record straight and let voters in Maine, who might not remember what actually happened, know the truth.

Like many of my fellow Catholics, I believe our greatest commandment is to help those who are in need and to love our neighbors as ourselves. That call is why I joined the board of directors of Catholic Charities of Boston.

I was especially proud of our work facilitating the adoption of abandoned and neglected children.

Catholic Charities used the one and only criteria that’s appropriate for adoption agencies — the best interest of the child.

Child Trauma and Abuse; A Quick Study & Resources

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths

Few of us understand the lifelong impact trauma has on a child and fewer still the depth and scope of generational child abuse in America today. This KARA page provides basic information and the critical elements that you & your friends and neighbors need to know for trauma & abuse to be reduced in your own community. Share it widely.

All Adults Are the Protectors of All Children

Send us your favorite resources (we will post those that fit)

Child Trauma and Torture Reporting for July 2018 (part 5)

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action

KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.

This reporting is only sampling of what should be reported – the great majority of child trauma & abuse is never known.

37% of children overall and 54% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18.

(American Journal of Public Health 1.17)

Child Welfare Survey Responses (thank you Safe Passage for Children of MN)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - MN Specific

This important survey of Minnesota’s candidates for Governor shed’s light on what’s in store for children after the election.

Notice that only one of these candidates did not respond to the Safe Passage Survey. This same candidate (and Governor) years ago told KARA board member David Strand and State Legislator Andy Dawkins that “Children that are the victims of failed personal responsibility are not my problem, nor are they the problem of the State of Minnesota”.

Read the Governor Candidates Responses Here

Share this widely to insure children get a voice in the next election.

Child Sex Abuse for July 2018 (part 4)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths

37% of children overall and 54% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18.

(American Journal of Public Health 1.17)

6 to 12 million children a year are reported to child protection services and in many states,

About 1/3 of foster children are required to take psychotropic medicines

ALL ADULTS ARE THE PROTECTORS OF ALL CHILDREN

July 2018 Child Abuse / Child Protection (part 3)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths

KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.

This reporting is only sampling of what should be reported – the great majority of child trauma & abuse is never known.

37% of children overall and 54% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18.

(American Journal of Public Health 1.17)

Infant & Child Death July 2018 (part 2)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths

KARA (Kids At Risk Action) tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
This reporting is only sampling of what should be reported – the great majority of child trauma & abuse is never known.
37% of children overall and 54% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18.
(American Journal of Public Health 1.17)

Articles, Stories & Statistics About Adoption and Foster Care for June 2018

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action

Group home caters to LGBT foster children
Cronkite News
Redmond said she wanted to provide a real home for LGBT foster children and her group home was immediately at capacity. They usually go on …
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Adopted children ‘barely surviving’ in high-pressure schools
The Guardian
Adopted children who have suffered traumatic early experiences are “barely surviving” in the current high-pressure school environment and need …
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Child Abuse & the Developing Brain (thank you Sonya Sasser)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Mental Health + Over Medication

If you knew that being raped at five years old destroys normal brain development and not just a child’s brain & life but the adult he or she becomes, would you make a greater effort to end child rape in your community?

If you knew that half of the children in your community’s child protection system had been raped would you be more likely to support affordable daycare, crisis nurseries and other child safety net programs?

Successful suicides by very young children are rare, but what is not rare is their self loathing, self harm and attempts at suicide. When seven year old Gabriel Myer hung himself in Florida he left a note that could have been written by an adult about how he hated being forced to take Prozac.

Fixing MN’s Broken Mental Health Systems (thank you Sue Abderholden)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - MN Specific

Decades of policy makers not understanding or ignoring mental health issues and failing to see the explosive growth of veterans returning with life destroying PTSD, the huge increase of children in child protection resulting from less help for young families suffering from generational child abuse & trauma is coming down hard on schools, law enforcement and health providers. All our institutions and communities are paying the price.

Sue Abderholden (Sunday Star Tribune) is far too kind to legislators and administrators who make the policies impacting young families and other people needing help in our communities.

Lawmakers saving small dollars by not supporting basic services (crisis nurseries, daycare or mental health services) are costing taxpayers decades of state ward status, crime and preteen pregnancies for people that could have been helped, could have become self-sufficient tax paying community members.

Child Burns, Torture and Trauma for June 2018

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths

Community summit to address childhood trauma
WCTV
(WCTV) — According to Child Protective Services nearly 700,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect in 2016. Experts say those traumatic experiences can leave a lasting impact. The Tallahassee community is now looking to help raise awareness about childhood trauma. It’s one of the many child …
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Stemming the tide of childhood trauma
Anchorage Daily News
As one of the doctors who led the first adverse childhood experiences study says, “What is predictable is preventable.” We can prevent children from experiencing ACEs and we can support the children and adults who have experienced them so that their trauma does not have to lead to negative …
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Reported Child Sex Abuse for June 2018

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths

2 Nodaway County men charged with child molestation, sexual abuse
Maryville Daily Forum
NODAWAY COUNTY, Mo. — Two Nodaway County men were charged on May 18 with several counts of felony child molestation and sexual abuse in …
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Creep accused of sexually abusing 5-year-old girl may have more victims, cops ask public to help …
New York Daily News
Investigators fear he may have molested other children. They released a photo of him Wednesday and asked the public’s help finding additional …
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Child Abuse & Child Protection for June 2018

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths

Fairfield father charged with lewd acts in addition to child abuse involving his 10 children
KTVU San Francisco
FAIRFIELD, Calif. (BCN) – The Solano County District Attorney’s Office today charged a Fairfield father of 10 children with four counts of committing a …
Father of abused Fairfield children now charged with lewd acts – KGO-TV
More Charges Added Against Father In Fairfield Child Abuse Case – CBS Sacramento
Jailed Fairfield couple face new charges of child molestation – TheReporter.Com
Full Coverage
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Speaker’s Bio

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, KARA News and Events

Long time CASA volunteer guardian ad Litem, Fonder of Kids at Risk Action (KARA)Founding board member of CASA MN & Friends of Children (now CASA Cares), author (1000 articles Star Tribune & the book INVISIBLE CHILDREN, national speaker (including United Nations & Women Prison Warden’s conference), CASA volunteer Hennepin County guardian ad-Litem, founding board member of CASAMN, CASA CARES), and Kids At Risk Action.

Mike advocates for abused and neglected children making the rest of us see the profound impact the crisis of childhood trauma is having on our schools, public health, public safety and neighborhoods.

Poor public perception & misguided policies, lack of institutional transparency, awareness and accountability are compounding serious failures in our child protection systems that directly impact each and every one of us in many ways.

By generating conversation around the issue and exposing facts that have for too long been left unspoken, Tikkanen brings attention to ACES, (adverse childhood experiences) and solutions that reverse trends of generational child abuse to make our communities safer and happier places.

Child & Infant Death June 2018

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths

4 people arraigned in child’s death investigation, charged with gross abuse of a corpse in Defiance …
WTOL.com
A body of a new born infant left un-cared for 17 months in Defiance County has resulted in four people from the same family being charged.
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Mother, boyfriend face Felony Murder charges in child’s death
KWCH
Wichita Police say the death of two-year-old Anthony Bunn was due to abuse. His mother and her boyfriend are in jail, each facing Felony Murder and …
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Domestic Violence & Violence Against Children for June 2018

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Domestic Violence

Des Moines man pleads guilty to beating baby boy, causing skull fractures, brain bleed
DesMoinesRegister.com
An 18-year-old Des Moines man pleaded guilty Friday to charges he beat his child, sending the baby boy to the hospital with two skull fractures and a …
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Why domestic abuse and anti-gay violence qualify as persecution in asylum law
The Conversation US
Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently upended decades of U.S. legal precedent by asserting that women fleeing domestic violence will not generally …

Child Death & Sex Abuse May 2018 (7) find your state here

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - US Based

NH parents of child who died arrested on drug charges
Boston 25 News
Following the child’s death, police executed a search warrant at 473 Hevey St. and said they found 28.1 grams of heroin, 11.8 grams of cocaine, 15.3 …
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Day care provider enters guilty plea in baby death case
MLive.com
MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – A day care provider has pleaded guilty to child neglect in a case involving the death of a toddler in her care at the hands of …
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Criminalizing Mental Illness (statistics & stories)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Juvenile + Criminal Justice

It is upsetting that the only significant authoritative voice speaking to the horrific practice of criminalizing mental illness is Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek.

Stanek’s Star Tribune article today paints the ugly picture of mentally ill patients not charged with any crime, locked up in a tiny, isolated, empty cell for 23 hours a day for months at a time because there is no other place for them.

HCMC downtown is seeing 800 to 1000 emergency psych visits/month, MN hospitals are turning away mental health patients and a very large percentage of people in the juvenile and criminal justice system suffer from diagnosable mental health problems.

Domestic & International Violence Against Children (May 2018) 3

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Domestic Violence

Gov’t, UNICEF, partners launch action plan vs violence against children
ABS-CBN News
The Philippine Plan of Action to End Violence Against Children (PPAEVAC) is a set of strategies and recommendations resulting from the National Baseline Study on Violence against Children in 2016. It is a product of consultations between the government, UNICEF and its partners, and details the roles …

Children at the Border “Torture; “extended exposure to violence and deprivation” (World Health Organization’s definition of torture)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - International

The psychotropic medicating (Prozac, Ritalin and Zoloft type drugs) of very young children was deemed worthy of billions in civil fines for big pharmaceutical companies not long ago. Today, America is illegally drugging migrant children with psychotropics without parental consent. It is a crime.

Torture is what happens to a child separated from her mother at a U.S. boarder crossing. Torture results in trauma. Children in cages – toddlers in pens? Traumatizing children has a very real effect on a child’s developing brain, impacts mental health and can last forever. To think this government has a policy of drugging and torturing children should be a wake up call that this administration will stop at nothing to achieve a small political gain.

It’s wrong and we should all be ashamed.

YAY Teachers (running for office)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Religion, Politics + the Law

Our mean spirited and child unfriendly politics is driving teachers into public office. This is a sample and it the most positive movement towards better treatment of children than we have seen in a long time. Blaming teachers for trouble schools is so wrong.

Looking for better schools, higher graduation rates and safer communities? Support schools and the people on the front lines.

What we do to our children, they will do to society (Pliny the Elder 2000 years ago)

Child Burns, Sex Abuse & Beatings May 2018 (find your state here) 1

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - US Based

Accused child killers plead not guilty in Seneca County Court
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
The mother and stepfather of a 3-year-old taken off of life support last week after being beaten until he was brain dead pleaded not guilty to murder …
Seneca Falls couple plead not guilty to beating 3-year-old boy to death – 13WHAM-TV
Couple accused of killing toddler pleads not guilty – Spectrum News

Child Welfare by State (statistics & news April 2018 (9) child death

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - US Based

American states are struggling to find answers for ending adverse childhood experiences (ACES) and saving at risk children by reversing the explosive growth of child abuse and neglect. Today, many state ward children are the 4th and 5th generation of abused children raising their own families without parenting skills and with serious drug, alcohol and mental health issues

37% of children overall and 57% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18. (American Journal of Public Health 1.17)

12 million children a year are reported to child protection services each year and in many states, 1/3 of foster children are required to take psychotropic medicines