Girl, 6, reportedly abused in Ariz. shelter

Officials there say it was really just ‘inappropriate behavior’ by another kid

PHOENIX – A 6-year-old girl who was separated from her mother under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” border policy was reportedly sexually abused by another child at a facility for migrant children run by Southwest Key, according to a form provided by the child’s family.

As first reported by The Nation, the child was assaulted twice while staying at Casa Glendale in the Phoenix area.

The child, without any parental permission, also was forced to sign a document saying she would stay away from anyone associated with the abuse, according to a migrant advocate.

Jeff Eller, a spokesman for Southwest Key, told the Arizona Republic on Friday that officials in charge of caring for the child and handling the case made a mistake labeling the incident as “sexual abuse,” when it should have been characterized as “inappropriate behavior.”

Southwest Key, a Texas-based nonprofit, houses over 1,500 migrant children in Arizona, California and Texas under a $458 million federal contract. Eight of its facilities are in Arizona.

Employees at two Arizona Southwest Key facilities have been accused of inappropriate contact with minors on at least two occasions since 2015, including an incident that led to a conviction for sexual abuse, police records show.

Mark Lane, a family spokesman who runs Poppa’s House, an organization that supports migrants, said Southwest Key is covering its tracks.

“It happened, and it happened twice,” Lane said of the abuse.

Lane said the child was forced to sign a form that told her she had to stay away from her attacker.

“For a 6-year-old to be taken into a counseling session like that and to be held responsible and to be told to sign a document like that,” he lamented.

The form says, “I confirm that the safety plan was reviewed with me and I understand that it is my responsibility to follow the safety plan.”

The form is signed by an odd-shaped “D” in what appears to be a child’s handwriting. After the signature, in parentheses, written in an adult’s handwriting, it says: “tender age.”

The form provided to the Republic is titled: “PREA Safety Plan.” PREA stands for “Prison Rape Elimination Act,” a reference to a federal law.

After the alleged assault, Lane said, the girl’s father, who is not releasing his name to protect his daughter and wife, was called by Southwest Key Director Silvia Zavala. Zavala, he said, told the father details of what had happened to his daughter.

“They also said there were other girls involved, and they were going to change protocols. It won’t happen again,” Lane said.

Then the father got another call from a Southwest Key employee. “They called 10 days later to say it happened again, with the same boy,” Lane said.

In a Southwest Key statement addressing the allegations, officials said there was an addendum to the original report. The addendum says the 6-yearold girl said that the boy didn’t touch her and that this was not sexual abuse.

Eller did not immediately return a follow-up call for clarification on whether he was referring to both allegations of abuse being mistakenly labeled or to confirm whether there was a second abuse incident.

The father was told officials were going to release his daughter to him.

The mother, who is from Guatemala, was separated from her child in late May in Texas, Lane said. She told officials about her husband, the child’s father, and provided his phone number. The mother remained in a Texas immigration detention facility.

Lane said that shortly after the second alleged assault, the father was informed that officials would no longer release his daughter to him.

They received word about a week ago that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement planned to reunite the child with her mother in Texas. The child was transferred to an ICE facility, Lane said, and held with her mother overnight.

They were released together July 18. The mother has a pending asylum case. She and her daughter have been reunited with the girl’s father.

“Mom is pretty strong,” Lane said. “Dad is very optimistic. He said he’s happy to have his wife and kid back where he feels like he can take care of them.”

Their little girl is not adjusting as well, Lane said. She’s “standoffish,” like she’s programmed and afraid that she’s still under the rules of the facility.

COURTESY OF MARK LANE A 6-year-old girl was reportedly told to sign this document saying she would take responsibility to stay away from her alleged attacker.