In the past year or so, this blog has posted many sad stories coming out of Europe, Norway in particular, about the abuse many families have received by those whose job it is to help struggling families. It is a great tragedy of our times. I know that similar problems in America have been mentioned occasionally but perhaps not enough.
Many U.S. citizens have written on the topic but a credible Human Rights Activist from India is also voicing concerns.
An article with the above title can be found HERE in the Sunday Guardian Live with the subtitle:
“Legal experts, doctors, and investigative journalists alleged that the US child protection agencies were biased and used flawed techniques to detect abuse.”
A portion of the article…
“Suranya Aiyar, a New-Delhi based lawyer, who has been providing counsel and aid to Indian families in the US, Norway and other countries to help them get back their confiscated children, recently submitted a “Report on Indian and India-Origin Children Confiscated by the United States Child Protection Agencies” to the Ministry of External Affairs. Based on her extensive case study of 12 Indian families, who were falsely accused of child abuse, her report sheds light on the US agencies’ many biases and flawed methodology. The report wants a travel advisory to be issued to young Indian families moving to the US of possible confiscation of their children as, in most cases, the victim families are not aware of what might goad the child protection agencies to initiate action against them.”
I have watched Suranya’s tireless attempt at publicizing cases like the ones mentioned in the article and I so appreciate her ability to bring interest to the subject through articles and interviews in the news media and in social media.
This is the first in a series of Sunday Guardian Live articles which I will post here as they are published.
Suranya made an announcement this week on Facebook:
“Hello folks! I am proud to announce that my website http://www.saveyourchildren.in is launched! Also, from tomorrow, The Sunday Guardian will run a series in collaboration with me called “Global Child Rights, And Wrongs”. It will have essays from experts on this issue around the world. Thank you to all who supported my work in this area. I could *not* have done it without you! Enjoy this video – which sums it all up!”
The new site was very impressive in my first review. The SAVE YOUR CHILDREN website will be a great resource in many ways.
I was not surprised by Suranya’s announcement. Professor Marianne H. Skanland, who needs no introduction to readers here, kindly let me know of Suranya’s plans. More importantly, Marianne has published a very interesting GROUP OF LINKS to:
“Articles in the internet edition of the Chicago Tribune around 15 years ago reported on the federal government of the USA in 1997 pressing for increased adoption of foster children. Eager compliance from social agencies may also have increased the taking of children into care.”
Sadly, the same psychobabble that happens in Norway does occur in the U.S. The main difference at this point seems to be that American due process (fair treatment through the normal judicial system, especially as a citizen’s entitlement) seems less corrupt.
Chris Reimers
Wings of the Wind 
Reblogged this on Ciprian Barsan.
Chris, I had no idea about this problem for young parents here in the U.S. Thank you for making it known at WordPress! I will pray with you.
You’re welcome, Maria, and thank you for your prayers!
I just typed “CPS steals children in America” into a google search engine and got 277,000 results. Because recent cases in Europe have received a great amount of attention, sometimes the American problem is forgotten. As Europe has grown “darker” because of the lack of Christian influence, America seems to be heading down the same road. It is a very difficult thing to watch. Are we living in the time of the “birth pangs?” Only God knows.
I was at your blog yesterday and really appreciate the focus on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. I will definitely have to put something about it up by the end of the month.
God’s blessings my friend…
God’s blessings to you too, my friend! I look forward to something from you about the 500th anniversary, and hope you will bring more to light on the subject of this post. Enjoy your weekend, Chris!
Thank you, Maria. I hope you enjoy your weekend as well. I will definitely try to keep the information about the CPS problem in the western world somewhat up to date. The focus has been on Norway because of a few cases that have gained worldwide attention. I’m well aware, however, that it is also an American problem and will try to keep readers posted. I am looking for something interesting on the Reformation. So much has been written. There is enough material to pull from, that’s for sure! 🙂
Chris, the Sunday Guardian article was very informative. I’m glad to have taken the time to read!
Wow. Sometimes I don’t think anyone reads things like this. I get “hits” knowing that someone looked at a post but not many comments. You’ve probably had the same experience at times.
I’m glad that you found it informative, Maria. As someone who has taught children much of my life and thinks they are the greatest resource (other than our God of course) on the planet, I think they should be treated as such. They are God’s gift to us and we must advocate for them when they or their deserving parents are mistreated. I know the media is usually only concerned about ratings so the latest tantalizing thing is usually at the head. This subject is way under-reported.
Chris, the contrast is that stories about parents, particularly fathers, who abuse get heavy coverage.
You’ve had a God-given opportunity to do what is best for those you teach, including your own children – that’s wonderful! They are a gift!!
Indeed, Maria; they are a wonderful gift!
You make a great point. Relatives and teachers who are abusive get a great amount of coverage and rightly so. When a “CPS” is the cause of abuse, there is a media blackout it seems.
Abuse from both places is, of course, evil. It is remarkable that certain government funded “Services” that are supposed to provide “help” get so little attention after causing so much pain.
The family as God designed it is under attack in so many ways. A few years back, I worked as a client advocate in a Christian Pregnancy and Parenting Resource Center. I taught parenting and anger management classes. For almost five years I worked with those who had been abusive in some way. In spite of that experience and working with local CPS workers, I had no idea of the national and international scale of the other side of the problem. It took a story from Norway, now known worldwide, that caused me to do a bit of research. The Bodnariu family from Norway are safely out of Norway now and have found a place where their family is free from CPS “help.” In their case, “help” was intense harassment, kidnapping, and an attempt to completely split the family apart.
Unfortunately, in many places, situations like the ones the Bodnarius found themselves in have terrible outcomes when children are stolen from their parents. This is the only way I can describe it. Children are being stolen from loving parents by government sponsored entities.
Much of what is happening is under the radar because those who are targeted usually have little knowledge of how to defend themselves. In some countries, pro CPS propaganda drowns out the horrific accounts of children taken.
The caseworkers who chose the Bodnariu family made a mistake. The father was Romanian and the mom was Norwegian. Both were Christians who had met on the mission field. When Romanians around the world heard about what was going on in Norway, there were huge and small worldwide protests. Many feel that international pressure had something to do with the final decision to allow the Bodnarius to reunite.
Anyway, thanks to some clear and sane voices like Prof. Marianne Skanland’s, the sad truth has been revealed to me. Since then, my blog has been a mix of different Christian topics and this one.
I had the privilege of reporting an actual Norwegian case here in real time. A wonderful couple, Dag and Margaret Hennum, had taken a mother and child who needed help into their home. Nadia and Caspian were targeted by the Norwegian CPS and Margaret shared part of the story with me in THE RISE AND FALL (?) OF THE NORWEGIAN CPS. Margaret’s post was published here under a different name to protect Nadia and Caspian. I’ll never forget the day Margaret messaged me to tell me that the Norwegian CPS (called the Barnevernet) had come to her home and taken Caspian out of his crib while he was sleeping. I was saddened and angry, but determined that the true facts of the case should be followed so I got my permission from Nadia to do so. Nadia’s story has become another well known Norwegian case. She has had a positive outcome, she and Caspian are together, but they are still harassed to this day.
She and Caspian are, unfortunately, in the minority of cases. Most are never reunited so that they can be harassed again.
It is an evil system. This article was to let others know that I know we have problems “in our our backyard.” I do intend to keep most of my focus on Norway because there may be some momentum there that could cause a change. At the same time, those like me are watching what is happening in our own countries and praying for righteousness.
Always a blessing, Maria…
Chris, I want to go back and read the rest of the articles you’ve linked to, such as Marianne’s.
That’s great, Maria. If you have any thoughts, please feel free to share them here.
Thank you, Chris – I think it is very important that people realise that Western child protection ideology is a heavy, international trend, and that each and every one of us must try to keep our eyes open in our own countries. Your postings on Wings of the Wind are very valuable, you give thoughtful comments that speak sense and concern to your readers.
The links to the articles from the Chicago Tribune are found half-way down the longish posting of mine that you linked to, they are marked in a sort of lilac colour there. Actually, I had found one of the articles, the one about the Supreme Court in Illinois stopping the carousel of adoptions 16 years back, at that time, but the copy I had made had disappeared among my tons of papers needing to be sorted. Then, at a mysteriously pertinent moment, it turned up! And then I found the article again on the internet, and the links to the other articles.
You’re welcome and thank you for your kind comments, Marianne.
I’m glad you mentioned where the links to the Tribune articles can be found. Anyone interested will have to scroll down a bit after going to the link.
I can imagine all of the papers you have saved over the years. Maybe it’s more than a strange coincidence that the articles turned up at just the right moment. I guess we’ll never know in this life. If God knows so much about us that he knows the number of hairs on our heads, just maybe…
Your comments are always appreciated. 🙂
I agree, it feels like guidance! It is quite often, in daily concerns, I feel strongly that there must have been a helping hand.
I have the same experience, Marianne.
Psalm 25:9 says: “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”
Who of us can claim humility? Each of us looks in the mirror each day.
“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Thus, since both verses are true, there must be some who are more humble than others and guidance is provided. At the same time, It is given by grace alone since none of us is worthy.
At least, that’s my take from the scriptures on the subject.