The federal government abandons its legal duty to protect vulnerable children, according to the report “Shame on U.S.,” released Jan. 27. All 50 states fall short of the minimum standards of child protection set by federal law. Judges, courts, the Department of Health and Human Services, and Congress are all at fault, according to the two groups that wrote the report over three years.
“Our laws are weak. We don’t invest in solutions. Federal laws aren’t enforced. And courts are turning their backs. This creates a trifecta of inertia and neglect,” said Amy Harfeld, policy director at the Children’s Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego School of Law (CAI), which wrote the report with the nonprofit group First Star.
In a statement released with the report, Elisa Weichel, Administrative Director and Staff Attorney at CAI, said, “It is no secret that child welfare law is disjointed and underfunded.” But people are not as aware the federal government is legally mandated to enforce certain standards for child protection, and the judicial branch makes it harder for people to sue to protect children.
