Families vs DHR Editorial
There is a quiet injustice sweeping through communities that most Americans do not even know exists. It moves in silence, carried out by real people working inside a system that has drifted far from its purpose. Families describe decisions made in bad faith, rights ignored without explanation, and outcomes that stand in direct opposition to the very foundation this country was built on. And perhaps most painful of all, they describe harm that unfolds not in the shadows of danger, but under the banner of what the system claims is in the best interest of children.
Christmas is meant to be a season of light. A season where children wake up to wonder and families find a moment of peace. Yet across Alabama, there are homes where Christmas will not come the way it should. Not because of poverty. Not because of tragedy. But because of a system that has learned to take before it listens.
For many parents who reach out to us, this time of year carries a particular kind of ache. While the world hangs ornaments and wraps gifts, families caught in investigations, delays, and unexplained decisions are left with empty arms and colder rooms. Their children are alive, yet missing. Present in every thought, yet absent from every moment that matters.
The damage is quiet but enormous. Missed visits. Cancelled calls. Siblings split without explanation. Case plans that stretch weeks into months while childhood slips out of reach. No one should have to spend Christmas waiting on a system that does not wait for them.
This is not a single case or a rare misstep. It is a pattern that parents describe again and again. And each story carries the same truth. The system did not simply interrupt Christmas. It replaced it with uncertainty.
So this year, we are saying it plainly. Families deserve better than this. Children deserve better than this. The holidays should never be a casualty of bureaucracy.
If you or someone you love is living through this, you are not alone. We are documenting these stories, exposing the patterns, and refusing to let silence bury the harm.
Follow us across social media to stay connected, stay informed, and stand with every family fighting to bring their children home.
Families vs DHR
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