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FCF Vice President Gloria Fletcher Op-Ed: Justice for Rilya

By Gloria Fletcher
Special to The Sun
Published: Monday, December 3, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at 11:11 p.m.

Ten years after the disappearance of little Rilya Wilson, what have Floridians learned about her fate as well as the future of others in the state’s child-welfare system?

What do we know about the system itself — and whether reforms have made kids any more safe?

It’s hard to say what we’ve learned. As the first-degree murder trial of Rilya’s caretaker, Geralyn Graham, gets underway in Miami, too many questions linger about Rilya, Graham and the Department of Children and Families.

The State Attorney’s Office will plead its case for charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and aggravated child abuse against Graham, who in 2000 brought the 4-year-old little girl into her home as a foster child. The trial will likely take several weeks for the state to demonstrate to the jury how Graham committed the crimes for which she is charged.

But the case for Rilya goes much deeper. For it wasn’t until 2002 — after an entire year had passed since a caseworker for the department had last checked on Rilya — that the state realized she was no longer in Graham’s home. Graham has maintained her innocence since her arrest in 2005, claiming a child welfare worker removed the child from her home.

If she were still alive, Rilya would be 16. But what happened to Rilya, whose name is an acronym for “Remember I love you always,” may never be known. Her body has never been found.

This case demands answers. What happens from here is critical. Society needs closure on this case, thus the outcome of the Graham trial is key for the process to begin. A first-degree murder conviction will send a message loud and clear to those in our society who choose to harm the most vulnerable among us.

What’s more important, though, will not be answered by this case. The fundamental question is how did DCF lose track of Rilya for a year — and will sweeping reforms at DCF protect foster children in the future from similar tragedies?

We can only hope.

Foster child advocates also can only hope the lessons and reforms last a lifetime.

Gloria Fletcher is a Gainesville attorney and vice president of Florida’s Children First.

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Alexia Nechayev

FYS Events & Meeting Chair
(Palm Beach/Miami)

Alexia Nechayev, from Miami, Florida, is a dedicated advocate for youth with lived experience in foster care and with homelessness. After being placed in foster care as a teenager, Alexia experienced firsthand the stigma surrounding the system, as well as the challenges of navigating a system that didn’t provide support for her to advocate for herself. This experience motivated her to create change, ensuring that other youth in care have the tools and resources she lacked.

She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Florida International University, and upon graduation worked as a Hope Navigator with the Department of Children and Families which allowed her to assist clients through individualized care plans, further deepening her commitment to improving the lives of marginalized youth. Alexia is now applying to law schools with the goal of advancing her advocacy work through a legal career. As the Events and Meetings Chair for Florida Youth SHINE (FYS), she creates opportunities for foster and homeless youth to collaborate and push for meaningful change. She is also an active member of the Policy and Initiative Team for Florida Youth SHINE, where she helps create and shape policies that directly impact youth in foster care. One of her proudest accomplishments is helping to develop the Foster Care Bill of Rights, a law that she feels would have made a difference during her own time in care.

In addition to her work with FYS, Alexia serves on the Board of Directors for the parent organization of FYS, Florida’s Children First. In this role, she contributes to strategic decision-making while advocating for the rights and welfare of children statewide.

Every year, she travels to the state capitol to advocate for bills she and her peers have helped shape, including key pieces of legislation that benefit foster and homeless youth. However her advocacy extends beyond her state, as she represents Florida Youth SHINE at national conferences such as the National Leaders 4 Change Conference.

Through her internship with the National Foster Youth Institute, Alexia continues to refine her advocacy skills, preparing for a future where she can contribute meaningfully to both policymaking and the legal system. Guided by the belief that “the blue sky is always there,” she remains committed to ensuring that every youth in foster care has the power and support to advocate for themselves.

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