What Some See As Child Abuse, Others Know As Culture Culture Was Legal Defense In Texas When Albanian Accused Of Fondling

As a lifeguard at a Pasco pool, Brian Werst often saw Hispanic families leave their 7-year-olds to watch over younger kids.

Some people were outraged, recalled the Gonzaga University law student. A few even called Child Protective Services to report abuse.

“But there were no signs of neglect,” said Werst, 23. “It was part of the extended-family culture. Children are taught to take care of the little ones.”

Because abuse traditionally has been defined from a Western point of view, Werst and eight other GU law students have organized a conference called “Multicultural Perspectives on Child Abuse.”

The forum, which takes place today at the Ridpath Hotel, explores how people of various cultures raise their kids and the possibility of using ethnic traditions to help treat abused children.

Culture as a legal defense received national attention in 1989, when an Albanian Muslim in Dallas was accused of sexual abuse.

Sadri Krasniqi, who attended his son’s karate tournament with his 4-year-old daughter, allegedly fondled the girl under her dress, witnesses said.

During the trial, however, doctors who examined the girl said they found no evidence of abuse. Other experts also testified that Krasniqi’s actions were “entirely appropriate” in the Albanian culture.

Although Krasniqi eventually was found innocent, CPS temporarily took custody of his children and brought them to a family that forced them to eat pork, wear crosses and convert to Christianity.

“If modern society doesn’t understand somebody else’s background, you lose your kids,” said David Daggett, one of the organizers. “That’s the destruction of a culture.”

Besides Werst, the eight others who are part of the school’s Thomas More Scholarship Program also have seen how culture can sometimes be mistaken for abuse.

During powwows on the Flathead Indian Reservation, for example, children crawl into boxes and fall asleep.

It’s tradition, said Kathy Jensen, a Flathead Indian and mother of four. Native American parents bring their children everywhere, she said. When the kids get tired, they stop and sleep.

Outside the reservation, however, these parents sometimes are accused of being bad parents, said the second-year law student.

“When people see my sleeping kids, they ask, ‘Why do you do that?”’ Jensen said. “They call that neglect. They tell me to bring them home and put them to bed.”

Sometimes, even families who speak their native languages at home are accused of mistreating their children, said Amber Seu Yin Pang, 25, a native of Honolulu.

“Some people say, ‘You’re not teaching English to your children. That’s not good for the kids,”’ she said. “They tell them they’re teaching their kids to grow up to be fruit-pickers or motel maids.”

Like the Krasniqi children forced to reject Islam, kids from various ethnic backgrounds are sometimes put in foster homes where parents have no knowledge of the children’s culture, the students said.

There aren’t enough ethnic families to accommodate all the children, said John Guenther, a program manager in DSHS’ Division of Children and Family Services.

While race or ethnicity isn’t the sole factor in determining placement, culture is always a consideration, he said.

, DataTimes