Kaua‘i grandmother Lourdes Akana never imagined raising her granddaughter would someday see her facing a family abuse charge Afterall, she says, her granddaughter, 16, has been the one inflicting the abuse. “She called me a dog, she called me stupid,”
Kaua‘i grandmother Lourdes Akana never imagined raising her granddaughter would someday see her facing a family abuse charge
Afterall, she says, her granddaughter, 16, has been the one inflicting the abuse.
“She called me a dog, she called me stupid,” Akana said.
That was before the girl ran away for the 28th time.
At press time, her granddaughter’s whereabouts were unknown.
Claire Ueno, a counselor for juveniles who has worked with the Kaua‘i Police Department since 1985, said there were 328 runaways in 2006, which puts this year in sync so far with last year’s statistics.
To date, there have been 172 runaways on-island, of which 15 cases remain active.
That means the KPD found the rest of those children, Ueno said.
It also means the KPD and the court system has had their hands full dealing with minors, and despite that, financially and emotionally strapped parents such as Akana still feel helpless.
Akana adopted her granddaughter 11 years ago, in the wake of her daughter-in-law’s death. The daughter was murdered just before she was slated to testify in a drug case.
Akana’s son, the child’s biological father, was too young at the time, Akana said, and having raised nine children as well as foster children, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
But when her granddaughter entered her teenage years, things started to turn ugly, she said.
“She was stealing at school, she was stealing from others at my job,” Akana said.
Then, in November, when her granddaughter was 15, she dropped out of school.
Though Kaua‘i minors are required to attend school until the age of 16, Akana, who works full-time, said she couldn’t force her child to go to school, and that the police couldn’t either.
“They said once a child is 14 they have rights to their own choices,” she said.
Officially, the public school system is required to have parents sign paperwork to allow those 16 or older to drop out of school.
Dropout status can be granted provided stipulations have been met, such as a declaration by guardians stating whether the child intends to get a GED or employment.
But Akana never signed any such paperwork, she said, and without school to keep her busy, her granddaughter racked-up phone bills while Akana was at work.
When she would return home, some of the conversations she overheard her granddaughter having were enough to make any parent feel desperate, she said.
“She would be bragging on the phone about ‘going out here’ and ‘wanting to do this guy,’” she said. “This child has gotten 400 phone numbers.”
The situation came to a head earlier this month when Akana got so frustrated that her granddaughter wouldn’t hang up the phone, that she resorted to trying to physically make her hang up, she said.
Akana was arrested and charged with family abuse. She also had to pay $1,000 bail.
As a result, Akana lost her home temporarily, while her granddaughter was permitted to stay at the house until CPS could find her a home.
But her granddaughter left Kaua‘i and is believed to be on the Big Island, according to the Hilo Police Department.
Dealing with serial runaways is different than those who do it once or twice when they are “at that age,” Akana said, noting teens such as her granddaughter have become numb to the system’s outlets — be it counseling, Teen Court or Child Protective Services — and are therefore fearless and, sometimes, a danger to themselves and others.
Ueno said a “handful” of serial runaways are prevalent throughout the year, noting simply, “it’s very difficult.”
When runaways are found, first-time offenders go to Teen Court, while second-offenders go to Family Court, unless they are facing criminal charges.
Though there are several county programs for such cases, including Hale Opio and Mokihana, Akana said they don’t work for parents such as herself.
Before her granddaughter ran away, Akana had told The Garden Island that she was at a loss because she didn’t want to kick her granddaughter out of the house, not only because she loves her, but because she could be charged with child abandonment.
She also couldn’t report the abuse because a parent can’t claim a child is abusing them unless that child supports them financially.
As of May 21, her granddaughter had been placed in a foster home on the Big Island but had fled within an hour of being placed.
Though she was initially concerned her daughter wouldn’t have any way to get by without food and shelter, Akana has since been notified by her bank that her granddaughter has cashed two checks.
In the meantime, Akana said she plans to start a group with other parents who are in similar situations.
No. 1 on the list for the group would be figuring out how to address family unity, she said. No. 2 would be brainstorming on how to drive home the reality and severity of a child’s actions through consequences.
“So there is not this child floating around thinking they can do anything they want to do.”
If her idea for a support group gets off the ground, the top long-term goal would be changing the way the judicial system handles juveniles, Akana said.
“I don’t think the system is shaking kids up enough,” she said. “They should make them take it more seriously. Don’t wait until they’re 18 and then punish them with jail. Teach them consequences after a certain number of runaways.”
• Amanda C. Gregg, assistant editor/staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or agregg@kauaipubco.com.
