JS’s Story: Foster care

When I was 13 the state placed me in a foster home. By the time I was 14 I was placed in my second foster home and there was three boys who lived in the foster home as well. One was 10,16, and 17. Every foster home is limited to so many kids this foster home was only allowed to have three but my social worker placed me there anyways. I had to sleep on the couch the first couple of months then all the boys got moved to the basement and I got there room. The two older boys would try to touch me and did when we would wait for the bus. I told my social worker I told the foster parents and I told my mom. My mom is the only person that tried to do anything about it. One night when I was asleep I woke up to the 16 year old boy with one of his hands over my mouth and the other on my throat. I was so scared I tried to get him off of me but I couldn’t. He raped me. After that a couple days went by and I didn’t tell anyone. One morning when I got in the bus the two older boys was saying bad things about me so when I got to school I called the foster parents and told them that the boys was talking bad about me then I called my social worker but she wasn’t in. Next thing I know my social worker showed up at my school and took me to the foster home and told me to pack all my stuff because I was being placed somewhere different I asked her why and she said somebody had told her I had gotten raped. At that time I was in a program called kbhc and one of the girls that was in the program with me went to the high school with the two older boys. She had heard him bragging about what he had done to me she told the staff at my program and they had told my social worker. I begged my social worker to take me to have a rape kit done but she wouldn’t. I was then placed in another foster home and that day I told my mom and my best friend what had happened to me. My social worker didn’t believe me. A month or two after I was placed in the third foster home I got to go home with my family and I spoke to a lawyer about what happened and asked what could be done but after that I never really did anything about it. I go to councilor because of that. I have anxiety and I can’t sleep and when I can I wake up screaming because I had a dream about that night and I am constantly scared that I am going to see him out somewhere. They put me on a bunch of sleeping meds and a pill that will help with my mood during the day but none of that helps I’m 15 now and i want justice I want that boy to pay for what he did but I know it’s going to be hard if I take it into court but if I don’t I’m never going to be free of this.

J.S