The unfair and unjust way our daughter was treated in family court.

Our daughter experienced homelessness as a result of a relationship falling apart. She picked herself up and got jobs through temporary agencies. She signed up for the needle exchange to provide clean needles to persons shooting up. It broke her heart to watch them get ill from dirty needles. She worked almost two years while living in shelters, near streams, in woods and sleeping on cold concrete when shelters had no room.

She was raped and after that never slept at night, but walked for miles and miles. She could only sleep during the day in parks or under trees and she stayed to herself as she did not use drugs. We had lost touch with her and was notified about her son who was then in foster care system. We drove across the country and ended up exceeding our income renting for ten months so she could have in person visits and be on course to reunify with her son.

She was constantly beat up by people in the system never encouraging, never stating a supportive word, only dragging her through the mud of her past. She was volunteering, gained paid work cleaning houses, attending all her services and her attorney passed none of her accomplishments onto social services on her behalf. He too worked against her in many ways, stating his opinion and silencing her voice.

Long story, but in the end when we attended the court that was supposed to be for reunification and her support persons were to testify in support of her, her attorney told the judge she voluntarily relinquished her parental rights. We tried to ask our daughter questions, but her attorney would not allow us to.

After the court she told us her attorney and her GAL told her she had to give up her parental rights, so she did as she felt she had to comply with them. They took advantage of a compassionate, caring woman of faith whose only issues were mental health related.

This journey was full of frustration and rewards, joys and sorrows, suffering and peace. The disappointment is huge and what happened to her I am sure happens to many other young single women who are fighting against an uncaring callous people having their own agendas.