The Yates family consisted of husband Russel Yates, wife Andrea Yates, four Noah (7), John (6), Paul (4), Luke (2), and daughter Mary (1). From the outside the family looked like a typically happy family in the suburbs, but sadly they were the farthest thing from it. On June 20, 2001 Andrea Yates drown her five young children in her bathtub. At first they were a happy family until after the birth of luke, their fourth son, that Andrea became depressed. In 1999 she attempted to commit suicide and was later admitted into the hospital. Andera was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis and was advise to not have anymore children or watch over the children without supervision. The Yates conceived their fifth child about seven weeks after her discharge. On a typically day in June, Russell went to work and left Andrea with the children.

     “Mr. Yates's mother, Dora Yates, had been scheduled by Russell to arrive an hour later to take over for Andrea. In the space of that hour, Andrea Yates drowned all five of her children She started with the youngest boys, and after drowning them in her bathtub, laid them in her bed. She then drowned Mary, who she left floating in the tub. Her oldest son, Noah, came in and asked what was wrong with Mary. Noah then ran, but Andrea soon caught up with him and drowned him. She then left him floating in the tub and laid Mary in the arms of her brothers. Afterwards, she called the police. Then she called her husband, saying and repeating only two words: “It’s time”(Montaldo).

      In 2002 Andrea Yates was convicted of capital murder and sentence to life in prison. Later in 2006 a jury found Andrea Yates was not guilty by reason of insanity. She is currently at a high-security mental health facility. Russel Yates stood by his wife throughout her entire trial but later divorced her in 2006. 

work cited: 

Montaldo, Charles. "Andrea Yates - Profile of Andrea Yates." Crime and Punishment Home Page. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://crime.about.com/od/current/p/andreayates.htm>.

Meet Kelsey

 

      Kelsey Shelton Smith-Briggs was born on December 28, 2008 to Raye Dawn Smith and Lance Briggs. Her parents got a divorce very early in Kelsey’s life. The abuse began in January 2005 in the home of her mother and stepfather Michael Lee Porter. Kelsey landed in the hospital on several occasions, which included a broken collarbone, broken legs, and multiple bruises and abrasions on her face and body. Unfortunately her father was in the military and serviced in the Middle East while the abuse was occurring. Her father loved her dearly. In April 2005 was once again in the hospital, but this time for two broken legs and spiral fractures. The poor little girl was dying. Her grandmother was desperately fighting for custody for her granddaughter, but the judge continuously awarded Raye Smith custody of the child. Kelsey put up a great but difficult fight, but sadly on October 11, 2005 she died on blunt force trauma to the abdomen, in that cruel home. Days before her fathers home coming.

     In February 2007 Michael Lee Porter pleaded guilty to enabling child abuse and was sentenced 30 years. July 18, 2007 Raye Smith was convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison. In March 2006, the Oklahoma state legislature passed the Kelsey Smith-Briggs Child Protection Reform Act to reform the way courts and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) handle cases related to child abuse and neglect.Although one child’s life was taken in order for this act to be placed, it has and will help children that are going through the same circumstances. 

Ugly Side of Adoption

    Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another who is not kin and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents. There are two forms of adoption. The first option is open adoption: “Open adoption allows identifying information to be communicated between adoptive and biological parents and, perhaps, interaction between kin and the adopted person ” (Webster).  The second form of adoption is closed adoption: “The practice of closed adoption the norm for most of modern history, seals all identifying information, maintaining it as secret and barring disclosure of the adoptive parents', biological kins', and adoptees' identities” (Webster). But not all adoptions go smoothely like shown in movies and televisions.

Desiree Smolin and David Kruchkow state in their article, Why the Bad Stories Must be Told: “Going smoothly may be different from being ethical. Beware new adoptive parents telling you that adoptions are successful. We read many such posts from people, soon after they'd adopted. Little did we know then that we had adopted children who came to be available for adoption under very questionable circumstances, to say the least. Little did we know that the people working on our adoptions were involved with such matters as switching children's identities, then sending them to the U.S. for adoption with falsified documents. These people would later become the subject of national criminal investigations and prosecutions. We're sure none of the parents of children from Cambodia or India knew what has recently been revealed about the greed, corruption, unethical activity, baby buying and child trafficking for international adoption that took place in these countries. Does anyone really think that similar practices are not ongoing elsewhere?”

Many kids are neglected before they even reach their adoptive home. They are sometimes missed treated, raped, or not properly fed. And even if some children are not mistreated through the adoptive agencies, they might be abused within the homes of their adoptive parents. The reality is that some people do not care for the children, which is sad but also very true. Child abuse occurs anywhere and everywhere and there is very few awareness of this.


work cited:
Smolin, Desiree, and David Kruchkow. "Why the Bad Stories Must Be Told :: The Adoption Agency Checklist." Introduction. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://www.adoptionagencychecklist.com/page794.html>.

Meet Nubia

 

      Nubia Barahona was beautiful young girl, whose life came to a tragic end at only the age of ten. When Nubia was six years old her and twin brother, Jorge and Carmen Barahona adopted Victor Barahona, in 2007. They spent the next four years fighting for their lives together. Schools officially reported that the two children would often come to school malnourished and dirty. The twins would even speak of being abused sometimes, but nothing was done to resolve that problem in time. On one account a teacher testified that Nubia was absolutely terrified when the teacher said she was going to call her mother. Nubia started crying claiming, “Momma is going to hit me with a (flip flop) on the bottom of my feet." The teacher at the time didn’t fully understand how petrified the girl really and the extent of the abuse going on in the home. On February 14, 2011, police found Nubia's dead body covered in chemicals in the of a pesticide truck. The cause of her death has not been released yet. Her brother was found next to her battling for his life and was also covered in chemicals. Fortunately for Victor he is currently improving in Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

"There is nothing in this world that a ten year old child could do to deserve the lifetime of abuse these two children endured," said Joanne Muniz, who organized the memorial. “It is the hope of all of us today that the people responsible for the death of Nubia and the physical and mental pain and injuries inflicted on Victor will be brought to justice.”

Now the question raised is: How was the adoption was approved despite these warnings?

What You Didnt Know: Child Abuse

     Did you know every ten seconds a report of child abuse is reported, and almost five children die everyday as a result of child abuse?  And did you know that more than three out of four children that are abused are under the age of 4.  Child abuse occurs at every social and economic level, across ethnic cultural lines. Even within all religions and at all levels of education. “It is estimated that between 60-85% of children fatalities die to the maltreatment are not recorded as such on death certificates (National Child Abuse Statics). Children are suffering and dying from the epidemic of child abuse and neglect everyday.

    The statistics are that family’s member’s abuse 68% of children, and 90% of sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way.  Did you know that over 60% of people in drug rehabilitation centers report being abused or neglected as a child? Or that about 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the cycle.  Victims of child abuse are very traumatized for an unknown period of time. Victims like Julia can usually can be emotionally scarred for the rest of her life:

“Three year old Julia was referred to For The Child after her mother was shot to death by her father, who then turned the gun on himself. She was found asleep on the bed, in between the bodies of her parents. This fatal incident was the last event in a chronic pattern of domestic violence, substance abuse, and chaotic living. The aunt and uncle who adopted Julia wanted her to just forget what she had gone through, but her nightmares and behavior showed that her memories were sad and frightening. Working with a specially trained For The Child therapist, Julia used toys - a dollhouse, family figures, and police cars-to communicate through play her memories, fears and worries. Her aunt and uncle knew she was recovering from the trauma when she began normal play with other children and stopped playing scenes of fighting, death, and loss” (For The Child). 

"For The Child - Abuse Stories." For the Child - Long Beach. Web. 04 Feb. 2011. <http://www.forthechild.org/Abuse-Stories.htm>.