Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 1240

Tonight's special guest is Eugenea (Gina) Couture from British Columbia, Canada, a child abuse survivor and author of "Adoption Not An Option" which is available through Amazon. She's also the co-host on NAASCA's "For Our Kids" series of talk radio shows which examines the Rights of Children and Families in North America. At age four, Gina was forced into the foster care system in southern Alberta. Her story is a powerful memoir that takes the reader through a cycle of four generations, beginning with her great grandmother, a Metis woman, who endured the pain of losing the custodial rights of her children. This began a sequel as her grandchildren and great grandchildren become adults. After losing her own mother at the age of 4, Eugenea was in the third generation and faced a fractured existence in foster care. Her biography mirrors her walls of secrecy that results in abuse and violence. With an identity crisis and moving eleven times, Eugenea wanted to have a normal life but she was trapped in a broken system. Moving from house to house with the challenge of finding a parent continued to re-victimize Eugenea's circumstance as she became a target to multiple strangers that she is supposed to trust. As a mother herself, Eugenea was determined to never lose her kids, as her mother and grandmother had done in the past. Her search for her adoptive brother became her greatest quest. During their forty years of separation, she was refused any information of his whereabouts. Her commitment turned into countless hours of research as she fought against legislation for her sibling rights. Along the way, she built an inner strength by unlocking the secrets of the past and understanding the generational patterns of her family.