America’s Forgotten Children
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I found this story from my Facebook from one of the many people who I follow and it was heart wrenching to see this and read that there are many children born out-of-wedlock from US Service men station here in this country. Once the base was closed, they were left behind and forgotten! I can feel their pain growing up not knowing who they were. They were cast as half breeds and outcast and ridiculed. I hope that you read this and help sign a petition to give these children the right to be an american citizens. They have the right to be as they were fathered by US Service military while being stationed here in Philippines and or Japan. Thanks Definitely Filipino for sharing this story and I hope that they will become US American citizens. Click on the link and see the trailer…
AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN CHILDREN
a documentary by Emma Rossi-Landi and Alberto Vendemmiati. Produced by VisitorQ, Raicinema, ITVS international and YLE
Robert, Jr, Charlene and Margarita are Amerasian: the sons and daughters of Filipina sex workers and American servicemen stationed at the Subic Bay US Naval Base, once the largest outside mainland USA.
When the Base was closed 18 years ago, thousands of Amerasian children were left behind. Unlike Amerasian children from other countries, Filipino Amerasian were never recognized by the US government.
Now those children have grown up. Left by the Ship follows the lives of four Amerasian over the course of two years, as they struggle with discrimination, family problems and identity related issues, trying to overcome a past they are in no way responsible for.
The biggest issue i have is that this sort of thing still continues today especially with sex workers or women being promised a new life yet get nothing delivered.. and its unlikely to change.
yes, as most of them have been abandoned and exorcised by their own family or community as they’re called “Half Caste” not white of brown but of mixed races. So what would you have them do? They need to survive and the life they know is the streets and selling themselves as what their mothers have done to survive. Yes, there are many people that take advantage of it! So what do you do to stop them? As for me, make those men who fathered them acknowledge that they exist in the first place and hopefully they will find a better way for life for them and their family. What is your solution?
I agree.. and more importantly get child support for those children as I know many of the Pinay’s are nieve when it comes to prevention of pregnancy due to the Church at the same time the guys are well aware of what they are doing they just don’t care because they lack any responsibility.
I agree with you. there should be some acknowledgment from the father. They cannot just do this without facing some kind of responsibility.. at the very least financial support! Ive been to Olongapo. And the “half caste” children seem to be everywhere.
Hi Kat!
I have a 5 month old baby fathered by an american. I already contacted the US embassy here in the UAE to know the rights of my baby. Unfortunately, they told me that I “must” establish first the faternity of my baby before she will be recognized by their government…to do that I need to spend a large sum amount of money…Being a single mom, trying to make both ends meet…it will be almost impossible for me to chase her father regarding support. I was crying while watching the trailer of the documentary, i was already seeing the future…my baby looking for her father that left us while she was still in my tummy…though…but i hope my baby will be smart enough to understand our predicament in the future.:-)
I wish you both good luck and good health for the future for both of you and your child! 🙂
Has anyone stopped to think that some of these guys might not know they have kids there? Why not create a site where, if they are wondering if they do possibly have kids there, they can search for former girl friends names or their own name to see if someone has posted them up? It may not solve the problem but it may get a few kids a responsible father………