What do you guys think of those polygamist moms in Texas? Officials took like 400 children from the compound.

While I understand how mothers separated from their children are understandably distraught, I feel like those kids needed to be taken out of that compound where everyone is brain washed and who knows what is going on. Most certainly there is sexual abuse going on if young girls are forced to marry at, what, age 14 or something like that?

One mom who left the compound was interviewed on Today and she said the leader did a practice called "breaking the baby" when each baby was born. He'd slap the baby over and over and then run its face under a faucet. The baby would scream and cry until it was exhausted and barely moving. WTH? This makes me want to get sick.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4654643&page=1

All I can say is these poor kids! At least the state finally stepped in and did something. I hope they can find out the truth and help these children before it's too late.

I have a niece who I know is being neglected (I just have no physical proof because I am never allowed to see her) while her father is away at boot camp, and there is nothing I can do to help her. She is living with her step-mother and step-grandmother, along with her half-sister. I am scared to death of what is happening to her and how they are treating her, but I know I have no legal right to get her out of that situation and that is very frustrating.

I have no problem if grown men want to marry 1000 grown women, but having sex with these young girls under the guise of being 'married' to them is nothing less than rape/slavery. These girls don't know what marriage is. Ownership is the better term.

Ronaldsmom, there are likely avenues through which you could help, via DHR or the juvenile court.

I think her neglect is more of a lack of caring about her entire wellbeing, not that they don't feed her or make her sleep outside, or something outragious like that. They don't try and teach her anything. She still can't even speak in more than short sentences nor can she count past 5. She has always been underweight, and while they can afford to spend $1500 for a flat screen tv, they can't afford to buy her the pediasure the ped told them to give her to help her gain some weight. She is always very dirty the few times I have seen her (nails long and filthy, hair dirty, clothes dirty and falling apart, etc...), but that is just how they live. They all live in the projects in my niece's step-grandmothers house, along with the rest of her step-mother's family, and refuse to let me see her at all since my ex-BIL left for boot camp for the Army.

They are just trashy people. That's all I can say. I think I am going to see if someone from DHR will go and check on her to be sure she is ok, but I dont think they don't go beyond the surface to see how she is doing emotionally. I don't think it is bad enough for DHR to find her unfit, but I do want to be sure she is ok. Do you know anything about DHR and whether they will just go and check on her?

Notify the Department of Family and Children Services (DFaCS)is what most people call it, and they will definately investigate. You can report ananmously just to get someone to check on the child's well being and not be put into a "between" situation!

They will do a home visit and assess if the situation is worth removing the child - if not and they find some infractions they will have the guardians improve using a check list and check back with them over and over until they improve. They will definately do what is best for the child.

Good luck with that, Ronaldsmom.
My heart goes out to your niece.

It is the Department of Human Resources (DHR) that you notify here in Alabama, Grndhogmom. I don't have the number handy, but you look it up under Alabama (State of), Department of Human Resources, in the phone book. There is a listing for the child abuse/neglect reporting line. Reports are made anonymously, or at least they don't divulge who made them, and they will at least follow up on it. You're right Ronaldsmom, that it takes a lot for a child to be removed by DHR.
You might also want to consider having a hard talk with your ex-b-i-l to let him know how bad the situation is, since he's not here. It would not be a bad idea for him to consult with an attorney.

I want to clarify that I do not know what DHR's policies are and was only stating what I think is the case. You'd of course have to ask them about the anonymity issue.

More on this. So, surprise, surprise, they found underage girls who are pregnant. This makes me so mad. I feel so bad for those girls.

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20080418/APA/804180543

Anyone else fascinated by this case? Or is it just me?
Today they are testing the kids because they have no idea who belongs to who. I guess they asked the kids who their mommies and daddies were and they pointed to different people each time.
This is just so bizarre to me.
The parents were interviewed on Today. Here's a link.
Do you believe what the women are saying, that there is no abuse going on and they can leave the ranch at any time?

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24237472

I find the whole thing incredible. That many children taken all at once. I heard a report on NPR last week after the initial hearing and the reporter described it as a circus. So manyh of the parties involved have the same names, so they were having to be identified by their dates of birth.
Only time will tell whether the state of Texas was overly aggressive or justified in taking these extreme measures.
I have tried to imagine how our courts here would handle this and I can't! Here, if the state intervenes to remove a child, the child is appointed an attorney, and so are the mother and father each appointed their own. There'd be lawyers coming in from all over the state to deal with that, which is gather is what's happening there too, but I truely can't imagine it happening here.

I am sorry LawMommy. I thought I had replied to your post about DHR (at least I replied in my head ). Thanks you for your help. I have set up a consult with an attorney to see what the standard proceedure is when one parent with primary custody joins the military (as is who with and where the child will live), and whether I should have my own attorney when the hearing goes down in August, and also whether he thinks I should contact DHR (whether it would do any good). After I meet with him and find everything out, I will decide about DHR. Again, many thanks.

I wish I could talk to my BIL, but he has no phone, and I haven't gotten a letter from him yet to have his adress. So no luck there.

There has been a whole lot said and done by alot of different people involved with my niece, and I won't bore you with all of the details. I am just tired of my niece's needs being neglected and/or her being abused. And tired of her being used as leverage to exert control over and to manipulate others. It is sad when you whole-heartedly love a child adn only have their best interests at heart, and someone else uses that love to hurt you and manipulate you. But if you really love that child, you do everything for them anyway, because it is not their fault nor should they suffer because of it. It's a situation in which I will never win, I just hope by some miracle my niece does.

For those of you who pray, please say a prayer for her. I would greatly appreciate it.

I am fascinated by this bizaare case as well. It is so strange. I found another good article on it from Friday.http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/17/polygamy.custody/in...html?iref=newssearch

Good luck with everything with your niece, Ronaldsmom! It sounds like you're doing everything you can on your end.