By Shaneen Robinson
APTN National News
Ashley is a mother of four and feels lost without her kids.
“They took my children away from me because they said to me that I don’t have the cognitive ability to look after my children,” said the mother.
Ashley struggles with mental illness and had a tough time raising her children on her own.
But she feels the Manitoba’s welfare system has failed her and her kids by taking them out of their home.
“It would’ve been OK for me if they came into my home…had a worker come in my home daily and show me how things could have been better,” she said.
A report released Wednesday indicated of the 30,000 children under 14-years-old in foster care in 2011 nearly half were Aboriginal children despite representing about four per cent of Canada’s population.
As of 2011, there were 14,225 Aboriginal children who were listed as wards of the state according the report Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: First Nations People, Metis and Inuit as part of the National Household Survey by Statistics Canada.
This doesn’t surprise child welfare activist Cindy Blackstock.
“Our estimates were that there were 30-40 per cent of children in care but we have seen these dramatic increases in all the reported data from the provinces climb time and time again,” said Blackstock. “So sadly it’s not a surprise that over 48 per cent of the children in care are Aboriginal despite the fact they only make up less then 5 per cent of the child population.”
Blackstock is currently fighting the federal government because she feels First Nations children face discrimination over lack of funding for services. Her complaint is currently being heard by the Canadian Human Rights Commission in Ottawa.
The report also showed Aboriginal children were less likely to be living in a family with both parents compared to non-Aboriginal children, 49. 6 per cent and 76 per cent respectively.
The same goes with single parent homes. Aboriginal children were more likely to live in a single-parent home, 34.4 per cent compared to 17. 4 per cent of non-Aboriginal children.
The report found 10,525 Aboriginal children (2.7 per cent) lived in skip-generation families which is with one or both grandparents where no parents were present.
As for Ashley she feels the issues go hand-in-hand.
“(Manitoba’s child and family services) has gotta help people and communicate with single mothers and not just take them away for no point and reason…communicate with them do things with them to get their children back,” she said.
In the meantime, she is doing what she can to get her children back by taking anger management and life skills courses. She is also utilizing community resources.
Twitter: @Shaneenthescene
They are doing this sort of thing is the US as well. Child trafficking by Govt.s has become quite an issue. My three boys were removed from me because Dad’s abuse and kept under the guise of my ill mental health. I was able to prove that my mental health was fine but only too late. they had successfully pushed things to the 18 month mark that the law allows for reunification. My oldest one will “most likely” be returned because he is “unadoptable” due to his child hood onset schizophrenia. It’s just easier and more profitable for them to adopt the kids out. Here in the US CPS receives approx. $40,000 for each child successfully adopted from foster care.