It is a new day. September 1 did not bring the encouraging results we all expected for Ayn's safe return home to her family. So now we begin to hope and pray for a positive outcome from the resheduled court session on September 26 ~ freedom for Ayn!
I was asking myself, "What is this 'freedom' we speak of?"
The dictionary definition.................
Main Entry: merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
free-dom
Function: noun
1: the quality or state of being free: as a: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b: liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another c: the quality or state of being exempt or released from something onerous 2: a political or civil right
Is this something we take for granted here in Canada, in North America? Is it that which can be so quickly taken, as happened to Ayn Van Dyk? YES and YES!
How can a happy, safe, well loved and cared for 9 year old child with autism so quickly lose the freedom she has known and has a right to? Plus she has lost the right to oppose her captors by being drugged into submission. All of us are baffled by this crime and how it could be perpetrated by the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development. Their webpage states " The Ministry provides programs and services to ensure that healthy children and responsible families are living in safe, caring and inclusive communities." Ayn Van Dyk had all this with her family; they took it all from her and have been holding her captive, now 78 days, in an environment that in no way is or can meet even her basic needs. She was healthy, safe, cared for and loved by her parents and brothers who miss her very much. She will be again, but at what cost to her and her family?
Okay, so it seems fairly clear then that we as adults, those of us who care, have a duty to see that we get this 'freedom' back that was stolen from Ayn and her family.
I think the saying, from an ancient African proverb says, "It takes a village to raise a child." In this modern day it is a global village that needs to step up to this challenge now to ensure Ayn's freedom and that of all children.
We must find ways to tell the true story to everyone in the village.
We must find ways to remain hopeful and positive in our efforts.
We must find ways to raise the funds needed to get Ayn and her family the best legal representation possible.
I believe we can do this, do you?
If most people knew what MCFD really did to "protect" children, MCFD would be shut down. But because the public is kept in the dark, cases like Ayn can happen. Because of this blog, and all the other publicity that this case is getting, more and more people are waking up to the reality that MCFD does not particulary care about children, but rather cares about their budget and getting funding for next year, by making it look as if they are fulfilling some important role. They do this by taking children, even when they shouldn't.
ReplyDeleteAyn belongs at home with her family. Not with strangers. Not on powerful and dangerous drugs. It is truly criminal what our government is doing to this little girl and her family. The suffering they are causing is immense. Thank you for letting the world know about this horrific case.
I agree! Yes, you are so, so right! This situation should set off major alarm bells for all parents and especially any family member of a child who has special needs. They are claiming this father is resistant to "help" - HE CALLED FOR HELP to find his child who escaped from the back yard! And now look at the nightmare that has resulted for him! How are responsible,loving parents supposed to accept "help" from society if the organizations that exist simply make situation much, much worse? And why do they have the power to immediately remove a child but find every excuse to prolong the review and resolution of the case??
ReplyDeleteThe Ministry has been 'reviewing' Derek's case for the past five years, not just since the removal of Ayn June 16th, 2011.
ReplyDeleteMCFD' counsel's self-portrayal as being helpless to do anything as Ayn and her siblings 'suffer' is absolutely laughable.
If there is a true concern with the health and well-being of any child, action has to be taken at that moment, not five years after the fact.
The only conclusion one should be able to make is that a reported event, not responded to, must mean the conclusion arrived at the completion of the investigation is there is no need for protection, and the matter should not be brought up again as a basis for a future need of protection.
What MCFD does is simply accumulate numerous minor issues that individually do not require intervention, then then stack up incidents to make it seems as if the parent had never done their job to address matters. Parents are typically portrayed as resistant to unspecified 'services' as remedies (even if these are offerred.)
Derek's case is an important one, because it sets a precedent for removing high-value children one a time from parents, based on every decreasing basis for removal.
Child protection portrays the safety of a child as trumping any discussion of freedom.
ReplyDeleteBecause such standards of what constitutes child safety are so low, a child can stub their toe, say "ouch" and a passerby can observe this and phone in a complain to say a parent neglected their child by not providing proper shoes and supervision to prevent such harm.
Parents now turn white with terror at the mere mention of someone phoning the Ministry. Freedom has indeed become an abstract concept when it is so easily taken away.
This blog is a great idea, and will really help to draw attention to this grave injustice. Another blog, written by Ron Unruh, was also helpful in reuniting a family (the Bayne family, who were also so unjustly treated by MCFD).
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure, but I think that if you put in tags then people can search Google or whatever search engine they use, and your blog may come up (I know this is the case with Ron Unruh's blog). This is very useful and can assist people who are victims of MCFD, as well as assist Ayn and her family. The more publicity, the better. The public really needs to know what is really going on with MCFD. Ron Unruh's blog, by the way, ended up getting hundreds of thousands of visits. A blog counter is a good idea, even if you want to keep the numbers private.
It also might be a good idea to occasionally put photos of Ayn and her family up here (with Derek and Amie's permission), so that people can begin to form more of a connection with them.
Thank you, again for this blog; you are performing a great service to families and children everywhere.
Thanks for the suggestions, I will see what I can do!
ReplyDeleteAn intro photo is a great idea,
ReplyDeleteWhen people post the link to their Facebook page, the thumbnail picture appears on the Facebook page, This increases the likelihood of the link being clicked. The effect is an increase in hit counts and Google search rankings for this blog.