Child Abuse & Neglect

Published on: September 29, 2011

Sealing records of underage offenders offers the benefit of punishment without the long term career implications

by Stephen Bilkis

Though it is true that parents are legally responsible for their children’s actions, it is a fact that kids will make their own decisions in the heat of the moment, and not all of those decisions will be well thought out. All kids make mistakes, no matter how well they have been parented. For this reason, our legal system finds it easier to show compassion for first time offenses when a teenager is involved, according to a New York Family Lawyer.   As a society, we tend to give young people the benefit of the doubt, brushing off first time offenses like possession of alcohol. The New York Family Lawyer reports that in the case of alcohol, leniency may only exacerbate the problem. If children get off the first time, they will often repeat their behavior again later, and when alcohol and automobiles are involved, the combination can be deadly.   A new proposal is in the works for cities such as Boulder. This new proposition would punish for first time offenses, but would then effectively seal the arrest records so that their offense would not be visible on their permanent record. This would make it easier for them to get a job in the future, and they would still get the effects of a more stringent punishment for their first offense, in hopes that it would deter them from future offenses.   Underage drinking has the potential to destroy families and lives. It is imperative that we teach our children not to make these mistakes the first time. But if they do make a mistake, if their first offense is followed by punishment rather than a slap on the wrist, it is likely that they won’t choose to repeat it.   Families in Nassau and Suffolk Counties in crisis need stable support and a strong, knowledgeable hand to guide them.

if your family comes under scrutiny or if life changing events occur, call a New York Family Attorney for the guiding hand that will help you. A New York Family Attorney has the expertise and experience to point you in the right direction.

Published on: September 23, 2011

A third child in Queens dies from shaking

by Stephen Bilkis

A father in Queens has been arrested for violently shaking his eight month old son to death. The father admitted to officials to repeatedly shaking and even punching the baby in the back when he could not get him to stop crying. The baby was on life support for over a week at Schneider Children’s Hospital but could not recover from his extensive injuries and passed away. The mother of the child had left their home on errands, and upon returning only twenty minutes later, found the father calling authorities for help, remarks a New York Family Lawyer. The boy’s injuries included a lacerated liver, severe eye and brain damage, and rib fractures. The organs of the child were donated once he was removed from the life support system. The father’s original charge is endangering the welfare of a child and assault, but he could be elevated to a murder charge upon facing the grand jury. The District Attorney was shocked that a father could inflict this brutal abuse on such a young and innocent child. Authorities in Nassau and Suffolk County treat these cases very seriously as they should.

Two other children in Queens under the age of two have died from the same brutality in the last month, at the hand of their babysitters. The sitters have been charged with second-degree murder. A third child was also critically injured from a shaking incident. A NY Family Attorney states that no child should be shaken for any reason. It only takes three seconds of this violent act to cause death or damage that cannot be repaired.

Families traumatized by child abuse should contact a New York Family Lawyer. These innocent ones deserve to be protected from such violence. Call a New York Family Lawyer today if your angel has been victimized.

Published on: September 16, 2011

Dugard Kidnapping Case Expects Guilty Plea

by Stephen Bilkis

A young girl was abducted and kept in a hidden compound for 18 years. The man which is alleged to of kidnapped her and fathered two children with her by rape, is in court on Thursday. It’s likely that he will plead guilty which will at least give the girl and the family a small amount of justice says a New York City Family Lawyer.

The girl was kidnapped when she was 11 in 1991 and held, locked up secretly for 18 years. The accused is already a convicted rapist with a long criminal record explains the NYC Family Lawyer. The man was convicted of kidnapping and raping a girl in 1977.

The girl disappeared while she was on her way to school and his caused her family a great deal of distress.

Published on: September 3, 2011

Mother jailed after children fall from top of a car, a New York Family Lawyer explains

by Stephen Bilkis

A woman was put in jail after her children were injured after being awarded for good behavior. The mother attempted to award her child who helped her clean the house, a

New York Family Lawyer mentioned.

The 8-year-old and 9-year-old children were taken to the hospital after they fell from the trunk of her car. One of the children is in serious condition. The other child was released from the hospital. Only two of her children fell from the car. It is unknown how many children the woman has.

Published on: August 12, 2011

Dad Left Child Alone with Loaded Weapon

by Stephen Bilkis

Police have recently charged a man in a worrying case where he left his child alone with a loaded weapon. The man went out and is alleged to of left his five year old daughter alone in the house with a loaded gun explains a New York Family Lawyer. This left his child in extreme danger of being killed, or injured.

While adults will understand that these weapons are dangerous and should not be touched, Children will not. A 5 year old child would not know that the gun wasn’t a toy which is what makes the case even more dangerous.

The 44 year old man was arrested for operating machinery under the influence. The arrest was made during the early evening of March 19th. The Police report has since been obtained by the NYC Family Lawyer.

Published on: June 22, 2011

Child trafficking concerns halt adoption proceedings in Nepal, reports New York Family Lawyer 

by Stephen Bilkis

Families who are looking to adopt a child from Nepal, or who are in the process of doing so, have been put on hold as adoption proceedings have been made more difficult in recent months because of fears of child trafficking, said a New York Family Lawyer.   Dozens of families that have spent thousands of dollars in adoption fees and overseas travel in attempt to open their homes to abandoned children have been stopped short of finalizing the proceedings because officials in Nepal are concerned that some of the children being adopted out were not really abandoned, but stolen, which has devastated those who are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new son or daughter.   The New York Family Lawyer cited cases where adoptive families were given a choice by Nepalese officials to either stay in India until investigations into the birth parents of the child had been resolved, which happens very slowly, or to go back to the US and wait until such proof has been established. In a country where poverty and disease is rampant and children are left to die because no one can care for them, it seems as if adoption by a US family would be in the best interest of the child.   Even so, describes the New York City Family Lawyer, Americans cannot typically afford to suspend their livelihoods and put everything on hold to remain in Nepal for an undetermined amount of time. Leaving the children that they crossed the globe to rescue and to love proves to be one of the most difficult things an adoptive parent can do, but often there is no choice since things move so slowly.   

Marriage, divorce, custody and adoption all fall under the category of Family Law. A reputable New York Family Attorney is a good resource if you are struggling with any of these issues. Call a recognized New York Family Attorney today for information, education and representation in these areas.The firm of Stephen Bilkis & Associates with convenient locations in the Metropolitan Area, including servicing Brooklyn, New York City, can be of invaluable assistance to you if you find yourself a party to a case. Facing the Court without professional representation could lead to bad results.

Published on: June 20, 2011

Authorities crack down on truancy by sending non-compliant parents to jail

by Stephen Bilkis

 Remember the good old days when skipping a day of school was not punishable by fines and jail time? Most of us have taken an unscheduled day off of school at one time or another as children, having begged our parents, with sleepy eyes, to just let us stay in bed, suggests a New York Family Lawyer. According to school officials and lawmakers, those days are no longer acceptable.   Truancy is a big problem in public schools, reports a New York Family Lawyer. A truant child is one who has three or more unexcused absences in a school year. Those just because days are to blame. Authorities are sending a big message that it is not okay for children to miss school just because they don’t feel like going.

Although this is not your normal Child Neglect, in New York City and Queens this kind of parental action or lack thereof comes very close.

Now a new law has been enacted that will fine parents of habitually truant children up to $2000 if they do not attempt to see that their children are at their desk each and every day.   Granted, there are parents who simply do not care whether their kids get an education or not, and these parents are the focus of these heightened penalties. And while a $2000 fine might seem excessive, failing to pay that fine and get your kids up and on the bus could land parents in jail, according to this new law.   Obviously this bill is targeted towards parents of children whose truancy has become excessive and will not affect a family who decides to take a road trip one day rather than sit in a stuffy classroom or work cubicle, establishes the New York Family Lawyer. Even so, it might make parents think twice when considering the pleas of sleepy children that a day off from school is exactly what they need.

Published on: June 13, 2011

Bill Reintroduced to Congress: Same-Sex Couples to Sponsor Foreign Partners

by Stephen Bilkis

About two months ago, the Obama Administration announced that it would not defend the Defense of Marriage Act, the controversial act that restricts federal benefits for heterosexual couples. Since that announcement, Immigration Equality, a nonprofit based in Washington and New York that advocates in favor of gay immigrants, announced its plans to challenge the immigration law affecting same-sex couples.

As a New York Family Lawyer relates, gay couples face a conundrum when one of the two is a foreign national. They have to make hard decisions. Either the immigrant partner has to live in the shadows of America, hiding and becoming paranoid, or both have to move to a more accommodating country. The decision to leave your country of birth is a monumental leap, and some wonder why it should even have to be considered.

A NYC Family Lawyer shares that under current legislation, heterosexual couples can sponsor their spouse for visas or green cards. Recently, however, U.S. lawmakers reintroduced a bill that will allow gay Americans to do the same with their same-sex partners. The Uniting American Families Act was introduced in both the House and the Senate, and has the largest number of supporters it’s had since 2000 when it was introduced. While the bill has remained stagnant for the last decade, now there are 98 cosponsors of the bill in the House and 18 in the Senate. If passed, UAFA will allow Americans to sponsor their gay “permanent partner,” who is defined as someone who has the intention of maintaining a lifelong intimate relationship with his or her partner. Same sex marriage is on the agenda in counties like Brooklyn and The Bronx.

Published on: June 11, 2011

16-Year-Old Mother Arrested After Taking Own Child

by Stephen Bilkis

Daytona Beach police told of a 16-year-old mother who was arrested after taking her baby from a foster home agency that worked with abused and neglected children to give them new homes.

The girl and her baby had been taken to Community Partnership for Children in Daytona Beach, Florida. She was brought in by a caseworker from Jacksonville.

Once the girl understood she and her child were going to be separated, she sent texts to two of her friends, asking them to come pick her up, investigators told NYC Family Lawyers. According to police, she took her baby and ran to the car.

Published on: June 8, 2011

Stepmother accused of murder and severe abuse

by Stephen Bilkis

Authorities continue to search for the missing head of 10-year-old disabled girl, Zahra after a long search revealed her desecrated body, said New York Family Lawyers.

Elise Baker, 42, is accused of abusing, murdering and dismembering the girl’s body, according to NYC Family Lawyer reports. Coroner reports said Zahra died “as a result of undetermined homicidal violence.”

The child’s remains were found spread between two different locations with two different types of tool marks on her bones. The coroner concluded she had died before she was dismembered and that animals had eaten her flesh. There are many cases of abuse which arise in Brooklyn and The Bronx but none as gruesome as this one.