FIFTEEN MONTHS, YET EMMA STILL IN FOSTER HOME: CPS FORCEFULLY DECIDING A CHILD'S FUTURE.

I read a post this morning under the tag @familyprotection by @Canadian-coconut. The story remind me so much of my Uncle that resides in New York, United States, whose only daughter was taken away by child protective services. I feel like sharing his story here in this platform, I hope it helps him.

He left Nigeria in 1996 to the United States in search of greener pastures. I remember one morning while we still having our morning prayer my dad's phone rang. This was in 2007. My uncle told my dad that he has met someone he would love to marry. Due to expenses they didn't come down to Nigeria for the marriage, the marriage took place over there.

A year later we heard that the marriage was blessed with a beautiful girl. I have never heard my Uncle sound so excited as he did that day, I felt life will always feel like heaven for him, not knowing that few years later his life was going to be a living hell and that he was going to loose everything, including his daughter.

HOW IT ALL STARTED
My uncle came back one day from work one day for him to see his wife sleeping with another man in there matrimonial bed. This was in 2016. When he reacted she told him that he was a total liability, he doesn't satisfy her and a lot of other stuff she said. According to him, he has been trying to cope with her drinking problem, how can he bear this too.

Uncle Paul decided to file for divorce and that was when his world crumbled before his eyes. Later events will indicate that the man his ex-wife was has having sex with was a police officer. While still battling on who will take custody of their daughter Emma, the ex-wife's mother adviced her to involve the child protective services.

The next day Chelsea went to the CPS and few days later, while my uncle was in the house reading newspaper, since he had a night shift on that day, he heard a knock on the door. The woman on the door introduced herself showing him an ID stating that she worked with the CPS. She came with a police officer.

It felt just like a dream, because she started telling my uncle that it was brought to the notice of the child protective services CPS that Emma was being molested by the father and that my uncle was unfit to take care of Emma since he was a violent man. My Uncle was so stunned, he protested and asked them for proof.

The lady from CPS quickly went upstairs and without minding how Emma felt stripped her naked while she searched for proof. Emma cried, my Uncle couldn't do anything since the police officer held him down. Everything seems to be against my uncle, few days before that day Emma got into a fight with her mother while she was drunk, in the influence of the alcohol she hit her.

That day the lady from the CPS came, as she searched Emma's body for proof of molestation, she saw the bruises. Immediately the CPS lady took Emma away not even hearing from her what really happened, while my Uncle was arrested without no justifiable cause. It wasn't until two days later my father got to know this and contacted one of his friends over there to go and bail my Uncle.

After the bail, my Uncle went to go and get his daughter back just for him to learn from the CPS on their own have deemed both parent unfit to take care of their child thus they on their own have already decided to move Emma to foster home. They told my uncle and his ex-wife that if any of them desires to keep custody of Emma he/she has to participate in something they called 'service plan'.

When my father called my uncle to know how things was going he said the service wasn't doing him any good. That the only bright side to all of this is that the CPS discovered that my uncle ex-wife was a drunk, and that he didn't hit Emma, yet my uncle wasn't giving custody of Emma, they still got something to say, this time they said he was always working and thus he will neglect Emma. The Ex-wife who reported this to the CPS didn't get Emma too.

It's been up to 15 months since Emma has been in foster care, and there is all indication that she is likely going to be adopted by another family. My uncle fears that so much. He said they went for a hearing and the outcome wasn't great. Now my uncle is so worried, I viewed his profile on facebook this morning he now looks so thin, so thin that I can't really say it is really him. One of my friends in Nigeria here said the state receive an allowance for children on foster home in the United States, I don't know how through is that, but if it's true that is, I. Just fear maybe someone is trying to make profit out of this situation while Emma might be on her way to her doom.

I don't know if there is anyone who can help save Emma, even if not for my uncle, but for Emma. It feels like there is no justice in this world. My uncle said his ex-wife seems to have moved on already Now Emma suffers. My uncle said he is not even allowed to see his own child. He said the last time he saw her she looked so sickly and beaten up. A system that was meant to help a child has taking her away from her family and now destroying her.

My Uncle just hired a new lawyer, he has lost almost all he has to this case. Now my father sends him money from Nigeria. I hope they achieve something this time and save Emma.

CPS IS NOT THE SOLUTION.
I feel like advising families having issues right now, they should know that there will always be disagreements in marriage, please the partners should try and reconcile for the sake of their child/children Child Protective Services doesn't help anyone. In my uncle's case all they have managed to achieve most times is to separate the child from his/her family.

A system meant for the good of a child yet they don't ask the child what he/she wants. And tomorrow if the child resolves to crime they won't remember when they helped send him/her down that path. How can we trust a system that lies and assumes you are guilty without verifying. How sure are we that they are not the ones that sell this children to child traffickers who use our kids for all manner of things. I pray that one day someone will bring down this system that have done more harm than good.

Pictures reference.
https://za.pinterest.com/domesticdiv1185/endcps/
https://za.pinterest.com/crystalgailley/cps/
https://za.pinterest.com/freethewronged/dismantle-cps/
https://za.pinterest.com/explore/child-protective-services/