The Zahra Project

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The Zahra Project
Woman crusades for tougher laws to prevent child abuse.
By Sarah Newell williamson
Published: December 04, 2010

HICKORY --
When Kristie Pope learned what happened to 10-year-old Zahra Clare Baker, she had heard enough about children who had been abused, injured or killed at the hands of others. She was ready to do something about it.

Pope formed The Zahra Project on Facebook around Oct. 14, just a few days after the Zahra case turned into a homicide investigation. Since then, The Zahra Project has generated more than 6,000 followers.

“I wanted to get people together who were sick of watching how DSS (the Department of Social Services) has failed kids,” Pope, 40 and a mother of three, said. “With the Caylee Anthony case, who could have predicted it? But with the Zahra Baker case, the more you learn about it, the more you could have predicted it.”

more
http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/dec/04/zahra-project-ar-589489/
 
“I’d like steeper penalties (for abusers), and I’d really like to see people report abuse,” Pope said. “We have that now, but people don’t do it. They need to be held responsible. I’d also like to see school counselors have more time to talk to kids. You’re not going to talk to a kid one time and have them tell you what’s wrong at home.”

Zahra’s Bill, as the legislation Pope is working on is called, would do multiple things. Those include:

Stiffer penalties for people who abuse children;

If a minor is abused or killed in the presence of a parent or legal guardian, they will receive the same charge as the offender;

Creating a public registry for child abusers;

Fines, community service or imprisonment up to a year if abuse goes unreported; and

To create a home school counselor position that conducts visits for home-schooled children once every three months during the school year.

Pope already has one big backer: Emily Dietrich, Zahra’s biological mother.

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/dec/04/zahra-project-ar-589489/
 
I agree stiffer penalties and for anyone KNOWING about abuse and not telling or getting help for a child should be held accountable also!!!
 
We need to keep Zahra's name and awareness going for other children to be saved from this horror.
 
I think this might be a nice idea in theory, but don't see it as 'real'. The reason I don't is that there are so many shades of grey that aren't addressed. And bashing DSS isn't the answer.
If DSS did or did not do something, the public won't know, because it's files are confidential.

I think what would benefit kids in situations like Zahra would be:
1) Encouraging people who suspect a child is being abused and want to come forward, assurance they won't be targeted by the abuser. In many states there is protection, but a person may come forward only after feeling they aren't going to be targeted by the abuser.
2) Resources for non resident, 'undocumented' parents to seek help for themselves and their children. (Until you work with someone who's being abused by a spouse they are dependent on, and who's not entitled to any sort of 'help' you can't know the helplessness of finding help for the person, or their children.)
3) Close monitoring of those with prior substance abuse issues if they have prior criminal background or DSS charges.

Sadly, DSS and many Child Service Depts around the country run on small budgets. Workers are expected to walk on water. The burnout rate is very high.

And sadly, in the case of substance abusers and those who have histories of substance abuse and have children, there may be no easy answer.

What the previous poster stated, that if a community stood up and said 'this kind of thing doesn't go on here...you don't knock your kids, spouse, or animals around' that really might make a difference. If a community lets folks know what will and won't be tolerated, that would probably work.

However, you might also wind up with folks who are taking alot of liberties with that sort of 'power'.
 
Just FYI, I started The Zahra Project and would lave to have some of your brilliant opinions there.
I'm flattered that we have a thread named after us ;)
 
Thanks KPMcLovin for making the effort to make a change I wish you all the best and agree am sick of how some kids are treated, abused and murdered. Seems to me that people who offend against kids generally get lighter sentences than if the same crimes were visited upon adults which really upsets me, so good luck to you and thanks again x x x
 
http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/the...18338711571842

Zahra's Bill

Section 1: To increase the maximum sentencing for Felony Child Abuse to a term of Life in prison.



Section 2: To increase the maximum sentencing for Misdemeanor Child Abuse to a term of 20 years in prison.



Section 3: Upon second or subsequent count of Felony Child Abuse offender will receive a minimum of 20 years to a maximum of Life in prison.



Section 4: To take action against those who do not follow the duty to report abuse law (statute 7B-301) already in effect, resulting in misdemeanor charges punishable by fines of up to $1000, community service up to 100 hours and/or imprisonment for up to one year.



Section 5: In the event that a minor is abused and/or murdered in the presence of his or her biological, foster, step and/or adopted parent, or legal guardian, and the parent or legal guardian is capable yet does not act in the interest of protecting the child from harm, said parent or legal guardian will automatically be charged with the same charges as the perpetrator.



Section 6: To require biological, foster, step and/or adopted parents and/or legal guardians who have been reported to the Department of Social Services two or more times for abuse or neglect within the previous 12 months to notify the Department of Social Services if they move within ten days of the move.



Section 7: To require social workers who are investigating a report of child abuse or neglect to interview at least three (3) individuals, only one of which may be provided by the parent or caretaker, in order to provide the worker with accurate, legitimate, and verifiable information about the caretaker(s) and/or perpetrator(s) in each individual case.



Section 8: To require social workers to give no more than 24 hours notice of inspection including return visits.



Section 9: To require the Department of Social Services to alert law enforcement within 24 hours of receipt of any report of assault on a child under the age of 18. The Department of Social Services will also provide copies of reports of reported child abuse to law enforcement within 48 hours of receiving the reports, making a police report available on every report received.



Section 10: To require public schools to provide staff and children with state supported, approved curriculum and resources that are implemented at the elementary level regarding identifying, reporting, and preventing child abuse and neglect.



Section 11: To expand the current acceptable maximum age for abandonment of an infant (statute 14-322.3) from 7 days to 18 months.



Section 12: The bill will be enacted in the State of North Carolina.



Section 13: The bill will be enacted July 18, 2011
 
alot of great ideas westside

i wonder if somehow these reports could go into some type of a database that a select few in LE could access state by state

you put alot of thought into this so i thank you
 
alot of great ideas westside

i wonder if somehow these reports could go into some type of a database that a select few in LE could access state by state

you put alot of thought into this so i thank you

Id love to take the credit if I deserved it but I just got it off of the Zahra Project FB site. lol
 
With the exception of #4, these proposals have some significant flaws. One that jumps out immediately is #2, you cannot sentence anyone convicted of a misdemeanor to prison time. #3, is very confusing, why would you sentence someone to less time for subsequent offenses than you would for a first offense? I also don't understand the purpose of filing changes of address? Especially for reports...reports are merely allegations. Anyone can make a report, it doesn't mean the allegations are factual. And filing a change of address is just silly. Its not as though anyone can go knock on someone's door and investigate them if they had a previous report just because they moved. What would be the purpose of reporting address changes? Same with providing LE with copies of all reports. For what purpose? How does this prevent child abuse/neglect? Seems like it is just more bureaucratic paperwork that serves no purpose.
#11 is wrong on so many levels; people are not allowed to STOP being a parent. The safe surrender laws are to protect newborns from being killed or discarded in a trash can. An 18-month old child already knows their parents/family. You can't just "quit parenting" because you've had a bad day. How traumatic for the child! DSS already provides resources for people who want to give up their parental rights...so the child can legally be adopted by a loving family. How many children would end up lost in the foster system if this law took effect because they could not legally be adopted out? How sad to do this to children! Mandating public schools to provide child abuse curriculum for reporting and identifying purposes...at the grade school level?...hmmm....I have no comment, but I think the schools will.
As far as the remaining "proposals", most of them are already current law or policy...and written more specifically than the proposals here. Details are very important. In order to change policy, one must have a grasp on what is currently within the law. I don't think this group has done much research. It may "look good" on the surface, but it is doubtful that it will progress much further.
 
With the exception of #4, these proposals have some significant flaws. One that jumps out immediately is #2, you cannot sentence anyone convicted of a misdemeanor to prison time. #3, is very confusing, why would you sentence someone to less time for subsequent offenses than you would for a first offense? I also don't understand the purpose of filing changes of address? Especially for reports...reports are merely allegations. Anyone can make a report, it doesn't mean the allegations are factual. And filing a change of address is just silly. Its not as though anyone can go knock on someone's door and investigate them if they had a previous report just because they moved. What would be the purpose of reporting address changes? Same with providing LE with copies of all reports. For what purpose? How does this prevent child abuse/neglect? Seems like it is just more bureaucratic paperwork that serves no purpose.
#11 is wrong on so many levels; people are not allowed to STOP being a parent. The safe surrender laws are to protect newborns from being killed or discarded in a trash can. An 18-month old child already knows their parents/family. You can't just "quit parenting" because you've had a bad day. How traumatic for the child! DSS already provides resources for people who want to give up their parental rights...so the child can legally be adopted by a loving family. How many children would end up lost in the foster system if this law took effect because they could not legally be adopted out? How sad to do this to children! Mandating public schools to provide child abuse curriculum for reporting and identifying purposes...at the grade school level?...hmmm....I have no comment, but I think the schools will.
As far as the remaining "proposals", most of them are already current law or policy...and written more specifically than the proposals here. Details are very important. In order to change policy, one must have a grasp on what is currently within the law. I don't think this group has done much research. It may "look good" on the surface, but it is doubtful that it will progress much further.

As obviously stated you are quite conversant with the various legalities, current legalities that are enforceable etc.

Maybe you would be willing to extend your expertise to help something like this progress further and just maybe become viable both legally as well as operationally
 
As obviously stated you are quite conversant with the various legalities, current legalities that are enforceable etc.

Maybe you would be willing to extend your expertise to help something like this progress further and just maybe become viable both legally as well as operationally

I wont speak for NC, but I read the post as indicating just about all of this is already in place.

I wonder if paying the DSS workers well, hiring more so they do not have 50 case loads to try and manage, and perhaps finding a way to allow the workers to enforce some kind of 3rd party examination of a child who may have signs of suspected abuse that on the surface may not seem as egregious as it ultimately is.

The ultimate stated goal of DSS, as I understand it, is to keep the family intact. The trauma of removal, legitimate as it may be, complicates the recovery of a lot of children. Again as I understand it. I think I would like to see a strenthening of the laws around domestic assaults, including the ones on children. Specifically the ones on children, TBH. Right now there is a presumption of "ownership" if it is family abusing family that would not carry forth in real life if it was stranger on stranger-for example, imagine what would happen if some random stranger beat your child on the street. Yet, some how it is more acceptable if it is a parent abusing a child. "Pressures" are taken into consideration that puzzle me.

For all of the heinous cases, and I personally believe Zahra's case is an excellent example of parents who knew how to get around the system by moving constantly, there are hundreds of thousands that do NOT end up here. So that is the loop-hole we have to find a way to close I guess.
 
As obviously stated you are quite conversant with the various legalities, current legalities that are enforceable etc.

Maybe you would be willing to extend your expertise to help something like this progress further and just maybe become viable both legally as well as operationally

Thank you for the kind words, but unfortunately my time is extremely limited as far as starting any type of grass roots movement to change policy. I spend my days working to keep children safe in real time...and I do my very best to insure every child has the best protection the law permits.
I could and would be willing to volunteer my time as a consultant to what works and what doesn't work as the system currently operates in NC. I did offer just that to the Zahra Project and put a lot of time and effort into pointing out some of the problems with the current proposals and why; however, they were very rude and argumentative with my efforts and I simply do not have time for that type of behavior. Many of their members as well as their founder and her "appointee's" have a personal agenda. Confidentiality prohibits me from providing specific details. I also found they are willing to take advice only as it suits them, (ie, personal agenda) and although they claim to have spoken to the "experts", I found most of the information they claim to have been told is patently false. I did provide them with the current policy and laws that govern NC Child Protective Services but it doesn't appear they took the time to become well versed.
 
Thank you NC. I think that yours is a welcome perspective in the world of good intentions vs the reality of creating enforceable legislation.
 
I wont speak for NC, but I read the post as indicating just about all of this is already in place.

I wonder if paying the DSS workers well, hiring more so they do not have 50 case loads to try and manage, and perhaps finding a way to allow the workers to enforce some kind of 3rd party examination of a child who may have signs of suspected abuse that on the surface may not seem as egregious as it ultimately is.

The ultimate stated goal of DSS, as I understand it, is to keep the family intact. The trauma of removal, legitimate as it may be, complicates the recovery of a lot of children. Again as I understand it. I think I would like to see a strenthening of the laws around domestic assaults, including the ones on children. Specifically the ones on children, TBH. Right now there is a presumption of "ownership" if it is family abusing family that would not carry forth in real life if it was stranger on stranger-for example, imagine what would happen if some random stranger beat your child on the street. Yet, some how it is more acceptable if it is a parent abusing a child. "Pressures" are taken into consideration that puzzle me.

For all of the heinous cases, and I personally believe Zahra's case is an excellent example of parents who knew how to get around the system by moving constantly, there are hundreds of thousands that do NOT end up here. So that is the loop-hole we have to find a way to close I guess.

very valid input believe :)

there is definately a break down, the system is obviously not working the way it sits now, and truly i have no idea what the solution is, or for that matter whether one can be found but i sure hope so for everyones sake

it has become the "norm", we are reading about these things constantly and it is getting worse, i personally do not know what the solution is but something simply has to change
 
I thank you Allusonz and applaud your desire to change this.

I often wonder if the violence is more prevalent or if the reporting of it has changed. There is nothing more heartrending than the torture, abuse, murder of a child. It get's everyone on a primary level-nature and nurture would dictate us protecting and raising our children until they can stand on their own.
 
I wont speak for NC, but I read the post as indicating just about all of this is already in place.

I wonder if paying the DSS workers well, hiring more so they do not have 50 case loads to try and manage, and perhaps finding a way to allow the workers to enforce some kind of 3rd party examination of a child who may have signs of suspected abuse that on the surface may not seem as egregious as it ultimately is.

The ultimate stated goal of DSS, as I understand it, is to keep the family intact. The trauma of removal, legitimate as it may be, complicates the recovery of a lot of children. Again as I understand it. I think I would like to see a strenthening of the laws around domestic assaults, including the ones on children. Specifically the ones on children, TBH. Right now there is a presumption of "ownership" if it is family abusing family that would not carry forth in real life if it was stranger on stranger-for example, imagine what would happen if some random stranger beat your child on the street. Yet, some how it is more acceptable if it is a parent abusing a child. "Pressures" are taken into consideration that puzzle me.

For all of the heinous cases, and I personally believe Zahra's case is an excellent example of parents who knew how to get around the system by moving constantly, there are hundreds of thousands that do NOT end up here. So that is the loop-hole we have to find a way to close I guess.

Excellent post and very accurate! Thank you! I would have to say that in addition to Domestic Violence, one of the biggest problems we have is drug use...and those folks know how to beat the testing. Our area in particular has a big problem with prescription drug abuse and if we test for use, all they have to do is produce the prescription at the time of the test and that drug is ruled out. We don't have the funding to test for the levels of drugs in their system and many of them shop doctors and go to various ER depts and walk-in clinics to obtain multiple prescriptions. Most of the headline child abuse cases involve drug use. We need testing that permits us to determine how much/how many drugs these parents are injesting!
 
Thank you for the kind words, but unfortunately my time is extremely limited as far as starting any type of grass roots movement to change policy. I spend my days working to keep children safe in real time...and I do my very best to insure every child has the best protection the law permits.
I could and would be willing to volunteer my time as a consultant to what works and what doesn't work as the system currently operates in NC. I did offer just that to the Zahra Project and put a lot of time and effort into pointing out some of the problems with the current proposals and why; however, they were very rude and argumentative with my efforts and I simply do not have time for that type of behavior. Many of their members as well as their founder and her "appointee's" have a personal agenda. Confidentiality prohibits me from providing specific details. I also found they are willing to take advice only as it suits them, (ie, personal agenda) and although they claim to have spoken to the "experts", I found most of the information they claim to have been told is patently false. I did provide them with the current policy and laws that govern NC Child Protective Services but it doesn't appear they took the time to become well versed.

WELCOME TO WS!!!

I agree the bill is not perfect but with some tweaking it could be a very good thing. Do I think it will solve all of the problems no I dont.

I dont see the rule of having to inform of address changes as being a bad thing. I d say its better to err on the side of safety for our children.

As for the 18 month to abandon a child to a safe place. If it means that child is safe as opposed to abused I see that being a good thing. weather the child has bonded shouldnt matter in an abusive situation.

I personally agree with believe on the matter of more case workers and smaller case loads would help. JMO
 

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