Letter From The Executive Director

Immigrating to the United States as a young, ambitious woman in 2003 my sense of American Justice and American Equality was a glorious and infallible one. Which other country, other than the United States, makes grand promises of a land of opportunity, a land of equal rights and freedoms for all I wondered as a young woman at the immigration line at John F Kennedy airport. My stomach in knots, I was hoping I would not be denied entry to the "Promised Land". I was accepted as a Citizen of the United States, but I was grossly disillusioned. 

Many years later now, I've had an unfortunately intimate view of the inner workings of systems that affect Americans en masse. Family Courts and their affiliated systems like CPS together have caused more harm than good on our innocent children. 

Much like in the Wizard of Oz, when you peel back the curtains, there is no good feeling when we look closely at the people and systems that wield control over our nation and indirectly, the world. There is manipulation, deceit, corruption, racial inequality but most important of all, an American Society that is apathetic to our children’s rights, needs and freedoms. 

“There is no keener revelation of a society than how it treats its children”- Nelson Mandela quoted and I am mistaken no more about how our children are in fact the most marginalized segment of society. Our children’s needs are unmet. Their cries for help are ignored. Our society reveals that it is SICK enough to harm such vulnerable members of our society.

It was a terrible revelation of how shortsighted American Society is, that it fails to recognize that OUR CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE...and if we do not protect our future, we are collectively disillusioned. 

If we do not protect our children from harm, the future will result in a wave of traumatized and marginalized young people who might continue the cycle of trauma and violence, putting the very existence of humanity at peril. 

I would have no such knowledge if not for the horrific personal experiences in Texas Family Courts and Criminal Courts with my own lovely children. American society attempts to delineate a picture of equality, freedom and sense of justice, but in reality we are a country are playing dangerous games with our own future. The most important pillar of healthy society is a strong Family Unit.  The pillar of FAMILY is being shreded to bits by unsavory bad actors and organized institutions whose aim seems contrary to the ‘best interests of the children’. In 1989, the United Nations proclaimed and ratified the Declaration of Human Rights and specifically proclaimed that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance. The Declaration of the rights of the child were agreed by several state parties but what the United Nations has truly achieved is providing a directive to State Parties to implement and enforce these rights. It is up to us and society at large to ensure compliance and enforcement of these rights.

The UN Resolution to Children’s Bill of Rights here: (https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child) 

Inspired by the horrific experience with my children who were wrongfully and unconstitutionally separated from me by Texas Family Courts in 2018, my path towards working for systemic change is by joining forces with others who follow this path to protecting, preserving and promoting our children’s rights by taking whatever non-violent direct action steps necessary. 

I thank my children Arav, Atreya and Alyan for their continued faith and confidence in me. They gave me purpose. A life purpose much bigger than I had ever envisioned for myself. 

Let us fling open the curtains and shed light on the secret war against our children together. Let us not be disillusioned any longer because society has revealed that our children are marginalized and the Family Unit, which is a fundamental group for a healthy society to function, is under attack from forces within and outside of our known society.

Let us go to war in peace for our children. Irrespective of color, religion, sex, financial status, political affiliation or background.

Our children do matter most. Yours and mine. 

Riti Chikkerur

Executive Director, OCMM