Greetings from Europe - Stepaniak Case - Ft. Bliss

Imagine saving up rigorously to make your child's dream of a year of high school (averaging $14,000 - $25,000+) in the USA come true.  

Hollywood and television still portray the exciting, cool life of US teenagers in high school, with cliques, football, cheerleaders, and prom dresses. The US lifestyle, for example, where some teenagers are allowed to drive at the age of 14, is also fascinating to Europeans.

But what is the reality? The US exchange agencies that partner with European agencies must pass State Department scrutiny to obtain permission. In Europe, they often advertise that only "selected exchange agencies that meet the highest standards of the State Department" are allowed to operate. They also often mention that strict federal laws must be followed to protect exchange students. The reality? None.

As the Stepaniak case at Fort Bliss El Paso demonstrates, completely unsuitable families are recruited as host families over the years. The exchange students who were placed with this family unfortunately witnessed the mistreatment and abuse of the foster children. The exchange students were also at the mercy of this obviously mentally ill host mother.

If they reported this to their agency's supervisor, they were threatened with immediate expulsion from the program or worse.

The question arises: What happened to the supervisor (local coordinator) who placed the students with this family?

The answer: Absolutely nothing.

On the contrary, this "good Catholic Christian" was probably even rewarded with a nice trip for her "placements." In any case, she continues to shamelessly place students, trying to recruit host families on social media.

You probably think the Stepaniak case is an isolated incident... Far from it. Almost all exchange students experience threats, harassment, blackmail, or perfidious lies from their supervisors, who are supposed to be there for their protection. Some are housed in hoarders' homes under inhumane conditions. Placement with drug addicts or criminals is also not uncommon. Some students are abused not only psychologically but also physically. When reports of sexual abuse are made, the agencies do not report them to law enforcement. On the contrary, they try to blame the students and "get rid of them" as quickly as possible, either by transporting them to another state or sending them home under flimsy, fabricated reasons.

Unfortunately, the State Department is also turning a blind eye to this issue. There's a DOS "hotline" for exchange students in need, but when they call, they're told the DOS is not responsible.

Many European parents, in cooperation with the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students, have reported and provided evidence of violations of federal law. Despite all this evidence, nothing is being done; the children are defenselessly at the mercy of host families and their often incompetent, greedy caregivers. There have even been cases where students have been sent back to Europe from one day to the next due to "parental involvement" when their biological parents protested the conditions or treatment.

Why does this and the "established system" work so well? Because in systems of abuse, the indirect perpetrators close their eyes, turn a deaf ear, and feel confident that they, or even the direct perpetrators, will never be prosecuted. The victims are threatened and accused of lying.

It can't be true that people and authorities don't care about such circumstances and that only the quick money counts. Exchange students come to the USA full of hope, usually with a year of preparation time, and often return disillusioned and traumatized.

Would you want this for your child? I think your answer is NO.

What would you think if you had saved for years to fulfill your children's dream to study abroad as an exchange student in Europe and then had them go through the experiences described above?