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Archive for October, 2019

Tampa Bay Times: Plan to use secure facility for Hillsborough’s problem foster teens is ‘ludicrous,’ sheriff says

A plan to use a secure facility to house Hillsborough’s problem foster teens is being met with opposition from several groups, including the Hillsborough County Sheriff, the Hillsborough County Commission Chairman, and Florida’s Children First. They warn that forcing children into a locked facility will cause them more emotional harm.

According to a recent news report from the Tampa Bay Times, Sheriff Chronister “described the plan, which is backed by the Florida Department of Children and Families, as ‘ludicrous’ and warned Wednesday it would further erode children’s confidence in the grownups entrusted to care for them.”

Read more from the Tampa Bay Times here.

Local 10: Police say Miami foster mother abused children, causing one girl to die

October 18th, 2019   No Comments   Abuse

In what has been described by Miami-Dade police and the Department of Children and Families as “one of the most horrifying cases of abuse they have seen” Local 10 WPLG reports that a local foster mother is facing abuse charges for the alleged abuse of three girls, ranging in ages from 6 to 12 years old.

According to the report published by Local 10, “numerous injuries from former beatings were found on their bodies, including healed marks and healed burn scars on their hands and fingers.”

Read more of this horrific story of child abuse by clicking here.

Deadline: ‘Foster Boy,’ Legal Thriller About Foster Child, Has Surprising Real-Life Turn Of Events

October 17th, 2019   No Comments   Abuse

“Foster Boy” is a legal thriller about the abuse of an African-American kid in the foster system. As reported by Deadline, “the screenwriter for the film Foster Boy won a $45M judgment against a social services agency — the largest award in the history of the state of Illinois in a case involving the death of a toddler in the foster system.”

Sadly, there are far worse cases here in Florida.

Read more about the movie by clicking here.

Statewide Human Trafficking Summit Reminds Us that More Progress, Prevention is Needed

October 1st, 2019   No Comments   Advocacy, Sexual Abuse

On Monday, hundreds of individuals involved in criminal justice, social services, health and mental health, and others gathered in Orlando for Florida’s first statewide Human Trafficking Summit. As reported by Florida Politics, “So much more attention and effort is being paid to the scourge of human trafficking now than 20 years ago. Yet there remains so little visible progress, especially in prevention…”

We must continue to shine a bright light on the places where these heinous crimes are committed, and work to educate the employees of hotels, massage parlors, and adult theaters on how to spot the signs of trafficking and common practices. While there is now more attention on human trafficking, there is still much more that needs to be done in order to address and prevent some of Florida’s worst and most vile crimes.

Read more about the Human Trafficking Summit in the article “Human trafficking summit opens with concern that prevention still lags” from Florida Politics here.