How Could You? Hall of Shame-Russian Adoptees’ Abuse Case

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Colorado, a story of the abuse and removal of two Russian adoptees, named Kristofer and Olivia,  from their original adoptive home has come to light in a CASA fundraiser.

“”I am for the children who were originally adopted from a Russian orphanage, who were frightened and hurting because their adoptive parents abused and neglected them, ” the woman on stage told the crowd of hundreds at the Antlers Hilton today.

“[They] were poorly fed, locked in a room and physically abused.”

The woman — Judy Thompson — is a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA, one of the many volunteers and employees of CASA of the Pikes Peak Region that together have helped over 9,000 kids in conflict over 23 years. Many of the kids were abused. CASA highlighted those achievements, and announced an initiative to help even more kids, at today’s CASA Light of Hope luncheon.

Kristofer and Olivia, who are grade schoolers, were in dire straights when Thompson came along. She was able to get the kids important resources like therapy, and speak on their behalf in court. Because of her advocacy, the kids were permanently removed from their adoptive home, where it was discovered they had often been locked in a cold room with a plastic sheet on the floor for them to urinate and defecate on — a room the children dubbed “the nasty room.”

Severely traumatized, Kristofer and Olivia were adopted by a couple that originally thought the kids would be too big a burden for them. After fostering the siblings, however, they fell in love.

The siblings also took the stage at the CASA luncheon, chattering on about normal kid stuff like sports and playing dress-up. There was barely a sign that the two had gone through so much, until Kristofer mentioned that he was highly impressed that all the kids at his new home had their own beds.”

More help needed to rescue kids from abuse

[Colorado Springs Independent 4/25/13 by J. Adrian Stanley]

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