Child Abuse & Neglect

Published on: June 22, 2011

Child trafficking concerns halt adoption proceedings in Nepal, reports New York Family Lawyer 

by Stephen Bilkis

Families who are looking to adopt a child from Nepal, or who are in the process of doing so, have been put on hold as adoption proceedings have been made more difficult in recent months because of fears of child trafficking, said a New York Family Lawyer.   Dozens of families that have spent thousands of dollars in adoption fees and overseas travel in attempt to open their homes to abandoned children have been stopped short of finalizing the proceedings because officials in Nepal are concerned that some of the children being adopted out were not really abandoned, but stolen, which has devastated those who are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new son or daughter.   The New York Family Lawyer cited cases where adoptive families were given a choice by Nepalese officials to either stay in India until investigations into the birth parents of the child had been resolved, which happens very slowly, or to go back to the US and wait until such proof has been established. In a country where poverty and disease is rampant and children are left to die because no one can care for them, it seems as if adoption by a US family would be in the best interest of the child.   Even so, describes the New York City Family Lawyer, Americans cannot typically afford to suspend their livelihoods and put everything on hold to remain in Nepal for an undetermined amount of time. Leaving the children that they crossed the globe to rescue and to love proves to be one of the most difficult things an adoptive parent can do, but often there is no choice since things move so slowly.   

Marriage, divorce, custody and adoption all fall under the category of Family Law. A reputable New York Family Attorney is a good resource if you are struggling with any of these issues. Call a recognized New York Family Attorney today for information, education and representation in these areas.The firm of Stephen Bilkis & Associates with convenient locations in the Metropolitan Area, including servicing Brooklyn, New York City, can be of invaluable assistance to you if you find yourself a party to a case. Facing the Court without professional representation could lead to bad results.

Published on: June 20, 2011

Authorities crack down on truancy by sending non-compliant parents to jail

by Stephen Bilkis

 Remember the good old days when skipping a day of school was not punishable by fines and jail time? Most of us have taken an unscheduled day off of school at one time or another as children, having begged our parents, with sleepy eyes, to just let us stay in bed, suggests a New York Family Lawyer. According to school officials and lawmakers, those days are no longer acceptable.   Truancy is a big problem in public schools, reports a New York Family Lawyer. A truant child is one who has three or more unexcused absences in a school year. Those just because days are to blame. Authorities are sending a big message that it is not okay for children to miss school just because they don’t feel like going.

Although this is not your normal Child Neglect, in New York City and Queens this kind of parental action or lack thereof comes very close.

Now a new law has been enacted that will fine parents of habitually truant children up to $2000 if they do not attempt to see that their children are at their desk each and every day.   Granted, there are parents who simply do not care whether their kids get an education or not, and these parents are the focus of these heightened penalties. And while a $2000 fine might seem excessive, failing to pay that fine and get your kids up and on the bus could land parents in jail, according to this new law.   Obviously this bill is targeted towards parents of children whose truancy has become excessive and will not affect a family who decides to take a road trip one day rather than sit in a stuffy classroom or work cubicle, establishes the New York Family Lawyer. Even so, it might make parents think twice when considering the pleas of sleepy children that a day off from school is exactly what they need.

Published on: June 13, 2011

Bill Reintroduced to Congress: Same-Sex Couples to Sponsor Foreign Partners

by Stephen Bilkis

About two months ago, the Obama Administration announced that it would not defend the Defense of Marriage Act, the controversial act that restricts federal benefits for heterosexual couples. Since that announcement, Immigration Equality, a nonprofit based in Washington and New York that advocates in favor of gay immigrants, announced its plans to challenge the immigration law affecting same-sex couples.

As a New York Family Lawyer relates, gay couples face a conundrum when one of the two is a foreign national. They have to make hard decisions. Either the immigrant partner has to live in the shadows of America, hiding and becoming paranoid, or both have to move to a more accommodating country. The decision to leave your country of birth is a monumental leap, and some wonder why it should even have to be considered.

A NYC Family Lawyer shares that under current legislation, heterosexual couples can sponsor their spouse for visas or green cards. Recently, however, U.S. lawmakers reintroduced a bill that will allow gay Americans to do the same with their same-sex partners. The Uniting American Families Act was introduced in both the House and the Senate, and has the largest number of supporters it’s had since 2000 when it was introduced. While the bill has remained stagnant for the last decade, now there are 98 cosponsors of the bill in the House and 18 in the Senate. If passed, UAFA will allow Americans to sponsor their gay “permanent partner,” who is defined as someone who has the intention of maintaining a lifelong intimate relationship with his or her partner. Same sex marriage is on the agenda in counties like Brooklyn and The Bronx.

Published on: June 11, 2011

16-Year-Old Mother Arrested After Taking Own Child

by Stephen Bilkis

Daytona Beach police told of a 16-year-old mother who was arrested after taking her baby from a foster home agency that worked with abused and neglected children to give them new homes.

The girl and her baby had been taken to Community Partnership for Children in Daytona Beach, Florida. She was brought in by a caseworker from Jacksonville.

Once the girl understood she and her child were going to be separated, she sent texts to two of her friends, asking them to come pick her up, investigators told NYC Family Lawyers. According to police, she took her baby and ran to the car.

Published on: June 8, 2011

Stepmother accused of murder and severe abuse

by Stephen Bilkis

Authorities continue to search for the missing head of 10-year-old disabled girl, Zahra after a long search revealed her desecrated body, said New York Family Lawyers.

Elise Baker, 42, is accused of abusing, murdering and dismembering the girl’s body, according to NYC Family Lawyer reports. Coroner reports said Zahra died “as a result of undetermined homicidal violence.”

The child’s remains were found spread between two different locations with two different types of tool marks on her bones. The coroner concluded she had died before she was dismembered and that animals had eaten her flesh. There are many cases of abuse which arise in Brooklyn and The Bronx but none as gruesome as this one.

Published on: June 5, 2011

Jury finds man guilty after he killed a young child while driving under the influence of alcohol,

by Stephen Bilkis

A man and his girlfriend made a crucial and deadly mistake when they made the decision to let the man drive her young son home after she was arrested one evening, revealed a New York City Family Lawyer. In Manhattan and Long Island this crime is considered the ultimate in Child Abuse.

After his girlfriend left with police, the drunken man got behind the wheel, and shortly after while driving too fast, he hit a tree, slammed into a cyclone fence and killed the 5-year-old boy who was in the back seat.

When police arrived on the scene the boy was already dead and after some testing, they concluded the man’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.

Published on: June 3, 2011

A mom shoots her two children after they talk back

by Stephen Bilkis

A mom has been charged with shooting and killing her two children, a New York Family Lawyer has indicated. She is being held without bail until the trial.

Month’s earlier police went to her house after being called about a physical abuse incident. The mom had been fighting with her teen daughter. Her 16 year old daughter claimed she was slapped in the face multiple times after arguing with her mother. No physical injuries were seen so the mom was not arrested at that time, according to a New York Family Attorney. This was the first time police ever had a call concerning the mother.

“It appeared to just be typical tensions that parents have with teenagers,” police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said. “The daughter had talked back; the mother slapped her for it. The daughter was upset that she had been punished and then she also expressed regret for the things she had said to her mother, and she knew that she was wrong. Certainly none of that would be an indication that it was going to rise to the level of a mother killing her children.” The police feel that they did everything according to the law and no action could have been taken against the mother that would have prevented this horrible action.

Published on: May 3, 2011

A mom shoots her two children after they talk back

by Stephen Bilkis

A mom has been charged with shooting and killing her two children, a New York Family Lawyer reported. She is being held without bail until the trial.

Month’s earlier police went to her house after being called about a physical abuse incident. The mom had been fighting with her teen daughter. Her 16 year old daughter claimed she was slapped in the face multiple times after arguing with her mother. No physical injuries were seen so the mom was not arrested at that time, according to a New York Family Attorney. This was the first time police ever had a call concerning the mother.

“It appeared to just be typical tensions that parents have with teenagers,” police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said. “The daughter had talked back; the mother slapped her for it. The daughter was upset that she had been punished and then she also expressed regret for the things she had said to her mother, and she knew that she was wrong. Certainly none of that would be an indication that it was going to rise to the level of a mother killing her children.” The police feel that they did everything according to the law and no action could have been taken against the mother that would have prevented this horrible action.