Date: 2014-03-24
Adopted, Abused Teen Wants Trading of Adopted Children Banned
By Danielle Elias
Monday March 24, 2014 11:42 PM
UPDATED: Monday March 24, 2014 11:04 AM
MARYSVILLE, Ohio - A teenager, adopted from another country, is speaking out about the practice of re-homing as lawmakers discuss banning the process in Ohio.
Re-homing allows adopted children to be sent from home to home, without anyone ever knowing.
Nita Durand says she lost her teenage years, after she was shuffled from state to state, and family to family, suffering abuse along the way.
Durand says there were times when she was abruptly moved, without any clothes other than what was on her back.
To meet Durand now, you would find a fun-loving, energetic, teenage girl, but she says life wasn't always this good.
Durand was born 18 years ago in Haiti. She says her mother struggled with money, and fought to find her and her younger sister a better life.
"She said it would be better for all of us," said Durand, who spent several years in a Haitian orphanage until she found another home.