Wild Children---They're in Your Backyard!

Britainy Gober
May 27, 2010

You may think I'm crazy, but I'm being serious. I'm not talking about the annoying brats next door who won't stay out of your yard, and keep hitting your house with tennis balls, either. I'm talking real, wild children; call them animals if you want. That's what most people consider them. And maybe I'm exaggerating. They may not be RIGHT in your backyard, but they're closer than people would like to imagine.

When people hear of "feral children," they probably start thinking of dog-like kids from back in ancient history in other non developed countries. If not, then they're probably thinking Tarzan. Well, not all feral children are animal-like. Sure, we all know of Victor, the thirty five year old man who died unable to speak or anything. He was found by a doctor, saved from wolves, and never adapted to human society. Not all cases are like that. Some are just simply isolated by their family, and never, ever interact with the outside world. Also, they're not all historical stories either. This is happening now, and it's happening here...In the U.S.

Fifteen cases have been reported in our country, two in the past three years. One of the most famous cases is the story of Genie. She was strapped to a toilet seat for twelve, yeah that's right, TWELVE YEARS. She couldn't talk, or walk, or even feed herself, at the age of thirteen. Her father had a problem with kids and just decided he was going to totally ruin her life, which he did. Go Dad!

< PICTURE OF GENIE WHEN SHE WAS FOUND.

Another famous, heart-breaking story is that of Dani. This little girl, about seven when she was found, was left in a room the size of a very small closet. Her mother and brothers paid her no attention. She was never toilet trained, and never wore clothes. Her house was covered in bugs and feces. The only thing that saved this little girl was her concerned neighbors. Maybe I should mention it took the police three attempts to finally say, "Hey, ya know, maybe this isn't right. Maybe we should take this girl away." I guess it wasn't obvious enough for them that a seven year old in diapers and lice isn't exactly normal.

DANI AT 7 YEARS OLD

Anyway, you're probably wondering what happens to those kids. Well, for the ones who aren't left on their own, and kept in the conditions they're in, are adopted, some are put into hospitals and homes, and some are kind of used as lab rats. Doctors do studies on them to see how they think and act, and they use them to help find answers to certain disorders, such as autism.

Genie experienced a little bit of all of it. They gave her tests, which she scored high on, and they put her in hospitals so that special people could work with her and help her recover from her situation. It has been shown that after a certain age, it is unheard of for people to learn how to talk. Sine Genie never learned to speak from her parents, they tried working with her, but just like they thought, she didn't learn too much. Dani was adopted to a loving family and almost completely recovered from the things she suffered from.

The kids who are raised by actual animals have less of a chance of recovery, but I think they aren't given enough attention. People want to just discard them because there is a chance they may be a little dangerous. I think if there is a chance that an innocent child can be saved and given a good life, we should take that chance.

These kids need help. If someone finds a child in the wild who seems to have no home or family, they should contact a hospital or police, and try to get the kid help. They can't stay out in the wild that way, no matter what people would like to say. Some think since they have lived in the wild as long as they have, we should leave them alone and let them continue living that way. WRONG. You can't just do that to a kid. They need to be rescued, and they need to be given the attention they have been denied all their lives.

If a kid is discovered in a home, but in a really terrible situation like Genie and Dani, then the police should definitely be contacted. You can't let a little kid continue to be neglected and mistreated that way. The kids should be taken care of by doctors so they can learn things and try to live a normal life. They should be put into schools, and given an education. They're humans no matter what anyone would like to think. They should be treated like every other kid in the world, and have the same opportunities as well.

Cases of feral children are reported way too often. Police and other law enforcers need to step up and be doing their part to help stop situations like this. Parents need to know they can't just completely ignore a kid for years and years, just because they don't want them or are unable to take care of them. There are other options, like adoption. In a lot of the cases, the parents don't have to do jail time, because studies get done on them and the parents end up having something wrong with them themselves. I don't think this is fair. They messed up a child's whole life, and they deserve to have to pay for it. They should be locked up, and they should have to deal with the consequences of what they did for the rest of their lives.

Every child deserves a shot at a normal life. There is no reason that a kid should be locked in another room their entire lives, or given up to animals. Unfortunately, not all parents are able to handle the responsibility of having a kid. I don't exactly know what they expect to have to deal with, but I'm not going to get started on that. Once the kids are rescued from these pathetic people, or wild animals, they should be given an education and the help they need to try to take care of themselves in this world. Forget about them being dangerous, or a threat. They're little kids! Open your eyes people! It's about time everyone realizes this is a problem here at home, and these kids need help. Do your part.

http://www.feralchildren.com visit this site for photos, info, and more!