This story began in 2016 in Feodosia (a little town not far from my own city Kerch). When people think such stories can happen only somewhere far, not here, not with them, they are mistaken.
Juvenile justice traps are everywhere, even so close to my place.
In 2016, the house in the Belogorsk district where she lived with her husband, eldest daughter and three sons, burned to the ground.
The day before, Marina’s husband came home drunk and was very aggressive.
Marina and her two younger children—the older ones were in the sanatorium at the time—ran away to a friend.
According to the woman, literally the next day after the fire, a commission from CPS came to her and took away her younger children.
The eldest son and daughter were told that they had nowhere to return.
As Marina’s eldest son told at first they had to stay in a sanatorium, and then choose: to go to an orphanage or to a foster family. The chose the family.
Marina lived with friends all winter after the fire and tried to find work but she failed.
In 2017, the woman was deprived of parental rights.
The lawsuit states that the children were in inadequate living conditions, and their mother abuses alcohol, cannot cope with parental responsibilities, and is not interested in the fate of her sons and daughter.
At the same time, Marina says that she regularly called her elders while they were in the sanatorium, and then lost contact with them because their new place of residence was hidden from her.
All documents were sent to the address of the burned house, so she did not know about the trial and could not defend herself.
At this time, the children tried to return to their mother. Several times they ran away from the foster family, but were caught and returned back.
In 2018 the woman inherited a house and the living problem was solved!
And only now in 2024 the woman could prove she could be a great mother for her kids and take care of them.
Social activists who helped Marina to fight for her kids say that case is a rare success to get kids back after 7 years!
Now the family is together again, and they all are very happy!