It has been over six years since Sherry (not her real name) has been in the ‘system’ and now legally an adult she can walk out of state care any day, but she believes the stability and security she receives in state care would be replaced by chaos should she return to her family.
“If I was outside… I would have two children already and living home or something,” the 19-year-old candidly told the Sunday Stabroek in a recent interview.
She was taken into state care at around the age of 12, following a horrific beating by her stepfather which left marks on her skin. She spent most of her years at the Drop-in Centre and like many boys and girls once over the age of 17, she was considered too old for the homes and therefore ‘aged out of the system’.
