Individuals who as children were removed from their biological families are the nation’s highest risk group to suicide. They are four times at risk than the nation’s highest population risk group to suicide; the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of the Kimberley which is the world’s second highest population risk group to suicide – behind Greenland’s Inuit peoples.
Despite all the good work done by many in saving lives, the suicide toll, particularly for the most elevated risk groups, is on the increase. The most elevated risk groups for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are individuals removed as children from their families, former inmates, the homeless and families evicted from public rental housing. When children are removed from their families because of alleged exposure to violence, dysfunction and other perceived aberrant behaviour they are not provided adequate healing and trauma informed counselling and restorative therapies.
The removal of a child from his or her family is a significant psychosocial hit, going straight to the validity of the psychosocial self and the id and simply it hurts, for many unbearably. Where there is no prospect of reunification with the parent(s) and siblings the trauma can degenerate to a constancy of traumas. One’s familial identity is made a liability and there is a disconnection with who they are and this impacts who they will be. Doubly so for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who daily have to deal with potential racism and the negative public spectacles and ceaseless conversations that diminish their historical and traditional heritage. When your identity is manifest as a liability it rips into your self-worth.
Lawyer uncovers “alarming trend” as children taken without warrants
- Details
- Category: Reports on increase in child removals
- Created: Wednesday, 17 December 2014 18:32
- Written by Mikael Thalen - Infowars.com
A federal class action lawsuit filed out of Southern California states that the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services has kidnapped “thousands” of children without warrant or reason.
According to the suit, which makes mention of several social workers and investigators, Riverside’s operation “makes a habit” of kidnapping young children.
Speaking with the Courthouse News Service, the Plaintiffs’ attorney, Shawn McMillan, said that he “uncovered an alarming trend” when investigating similar cases in the area the year prior.
“County child welfare agencies regularly subvert the constitutional rights of parents and children by seizing children from their parents when there is no danger to the child, and in fact no need to seize the child at all,” McMillan told Courthouse News. “The class action is designed to address a procedural problem. They [Riverside County social workers] as a matter of course don’t get warrants before seizing kids.”
Serene Teffaha, principal solicitor at law firm, Advocate Me, allegedly in closed court submissions during a matter before the magistrates court in Brisbane, accused the Family Court and its judiciary and police of enabling abuse of a child.
Lanier’s friend Steven Stryker choked to death at St. Joseph’s Hospital in May.
