Rampant Sexual Abuse in the Foster Care System

The foster care system was created to protect vulnerable children and place them in an environment where they can be nurtured and cared for. Unfortunately, the system has seen a serious problem with sexual abuse for many years, and there are no signs of stopping. Children are entitled to a safe and healthy home when they are placed with a foster family, and when that trust is violated action must be taken.

Last year there were 92 reported allegations by children in foster care in Florida. Only 6 were verified by the state. According to a John Hopkins University study, children in foster care are four times more likely to be sexually abused than children, not in foster care. Further, children in group homes are 28 times more likely to be abused than children placed with individual families. Even more concerning, more than half of child sex trafficking victims that were rescued by FBI raids were children that had been placed in foster care or group homes. Not only are vulnerable children placed in foster care homes with predators, but traffickers are also deliberately targeting foster children. They know that children in foster care are vulnerable and that their guardians aren’t necessarily diligent about protecting them from danger.

Many of the issues that the foster care system is plagued with stem from a lack of proper vetting. Foster care families are not examined thoroughly enough, nor are staff members who run group homes. After children are placed, visits are not conducted with enough frequency, or the visits are not comprehensive enough to catch potential warning signs. At the heart of all of this are overworked social workers whose caseloads are far too large for one person to handle. Something is bound to fall through the cracks, and often that puts a child at serious risk.

No child deserves to grow up in an environment of fear and abuse. If you or a loved one has suffered sexual trauma while placed with a foster family or in a group home, we urge you to contact us now. It is not too late to hold your abuser accountable. The compassionate attorneys at Hach & Rose will fight for the justice you deserve. Contact us today to receive a free and confidential case review.