Re: Polygamy case -- Child Advocate says, "Give system time to work."

[pnwmom]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/5729137.html


by Jim Shields . . . Shields is executive director of Justice for Children, a national advocacy group for victims of child abuse, based in Houston. (www.justiceforchildren.org)

"I spend my days fighting to save the lives of victims of child abuse, so I have a unique perspective on the turmoil of the past few weeks at the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints compound near the West Texas town of Eldorado.

The organization I work for and I have been very critical of the systems (child welfare, criminal justice and the family courts) that we taxpayers fund to protect our children. So make no mistake, I am not a defender of "the system."

That being said, I think that we all need to take a deep breath and allow "the system" to do its work. And I am very hopeful that the children of Eldorado will be well served this time because it is my experience that "what's watched, works." In other words, the cracks, or gaping chasms if you prefer, in our child protective systems will be closed because the whole world is watching.

Some are criticizing Child Protective Services (CPS) because it removed 437 children from an environment that the agency deemed dangerous.

SNIP

Was there ample evidence in the FLDS case for CPS to take such drastic action as removing the children from their homes? In a word, yes. The system failure is not that CPS acted too quickly but that it took so long to act, knowing what has been known for years.

SNIP

[Marrah_G]

1. K and R- Thanks for posting this pnwmom

[pnwmom]

2. You're welcome, Marrah.

Did you check out the link for Justice for Children? It looks like a good organization.

[Marrah_G]

3. Yes- people like those in JoC all over the country never get enough coverage.

They do alot of good and don't ask for much in return.

[uppityperson]

4. k&r with thanks.

I agree that a big question is why did they wait so long? Maybe giving precedence to "religious freedoms" over child welfare, and finally couldn't any more?

[musette_sf]

5. K&R

i read this earlier and thought it was well-said.