A Campaign Built on Faith and Adoption
Adoption Abuse reveals how a child used for politics was later abandoned and abused in overseas institutions.In 2015, Matt Bevin stood on stage holding a Bible.
Surrounded by his wife and nine children, he promised to fix Kentucky’s broken foster and adoption system.
A conservative evangelical Christian and Republican businessman, Bevin made adoption central to his campaign.
He often shared how he and his wife were denied adoption in Kentucky because they already had five biological children.
He described the state’s system as outdated and dysfunctional.
After being rejected, the couple turned to international adoption. 
In 2012, they adopted four children from Ethiopia, including a five-year-old boy named Jonah.
A Perfect Family Image
This story helped Bevin win the 2015 election as Kentucky’s 62nd governor.
He traveled across the state with his wife Glenna and their nine children.
The image was powerful.
A wealthy businessman, a devout Christian family, and a smiling interracial household.
It looked like a living symbol of faith and compassion.
But years later, during a bitter divorce battle, Jonah finally spoke out.
He claimed the loving family image was carefully staged for political gain.
From Poverty to Privilege
At first glance, Jonah’s life seemed transformed.
He moved from poverty into a wealthy household.
He lived in a large Gothic-style home.
His siblings attended elite schools.
The family owned a private plane.
A Maserati often sat in the driveway.
But Jonah said he was never truly part of the family.
Instead, he felt like a symbol used to showcase charity.
“He would lift me up in front of crowds,” Jonah recalled.
“He would say, ‘Look, this is the hungry child I adopted from Africa.’”
According to Jonah, it was all for appearances.
A Childhood Without Support
Jonah struggled with severe reading difficulties.
He only became functionally literate at age 13.
Instead of receiving support, he faced constant criticism.
He said his adoptive mother often favored her biological children.
She allegedly insulted him and called him “stupid.”
The emotional distance grew quickly.
Soon, Jonah was sent away.
Sent to “Correctional Schools”
He was first placed in Master’s Ranch in Missouri.
This was a military-style, faith-based program for troubled youth.
The facility had faced investigations over abuse allegations.
Later, Jonah was transferred to Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica.
It claimed to be a correctional school.
However, it had no official accreditation and was not registered with local education authorities.
Life Inside Abuse
Jonah arrived in late 2023 at age 17.
Within days, he witnessed extreme violence.
A staff member brutally beat a student who tried to escape.
The boy was forced to clean his own blood afterward.
Jonah said he endured similar abuse.
He described water torture, beatings, and forced fights.
He was made to kneel on bottle caps for hours.
In February 2024, authorities and the United States Embassy raided the school.
They uncovered widespread abuse.
Five staff members were arrested and charged.
Abandoned by Family
When the school shut down, most American children were taken home.
Jonah said his adoptive parents refused repeated requests to bring him back.
“Only three of us Black kids were left,” he said.
“Our white parents didn’t want us anymore.”
In court, the Bevins denied abandoning him.
They claimed he was a troubled teen but insisted they loved all their children.
A Larger Pattern
Jonah’s case is not unique.
Each year, about 80,000 adoptions occur in the United States.
Up to 10 percent eventually break down.
Instead of seeking therapy, some families send children abroad.
These overseas programs often operate with little oversight.
Jamaica has become a major hub for such institutions.
Behind High Walls
Another controversial facility is Youth of Vision Academy.
It resembles a prison more than a school.
High concrete walls surround the compound.
Around 180 children are reportedly held there.
The academy was founded in 2018 by a California resident.
It operates as a nonprofit but charges high monthly fees.
Former students describe harsh conditions.
They report isolation, humiliation, and physical punishment.
Human rights lawyers are preparing lawsuits in federal court.
They accuse the institution of systematic abuse.
Survivors Speak Out
One case involves a girl born in Haiti in 2004.
She was adopted by a Texas family.
Due to developmental challenges, she was sent to the academy.
There, she faced confinement and restraint.
Another former student from Michigan shared her story.
She said she was sent there after coming out as gay.
“They woke us at night,” she said.
“They forced painful positions while laughing at us.”
Online platforms like Reddit also contain testimonies.
Former students describe emotional, physical, and even sexual abuse.
Exporting Abuse Overseas
These facilities are part of the so-called “troubled teen industry.”
In the United States, stricter regulations have increased oversight.
As a result, some programs have moved operations abroad.
Human rights advocates argue that abusive practices are being exported.
Countries with weaker regulation become targets.
Public Figures Take Action
Paris Hilton has spoken out against these institutions.
She herself attended similar programs as a teenager.
In 2024, she traveled to Jamaica to support victims.
She later testified before Congress to promote reform.
Her efforts aim to stop the institutional abuse of children.
A Growing Reckoning
Courts in Jamaica have already ruled that some children suffered abuse and neglect.
Authorities have begun returning affected minors to their home countries.
Investigations are also underway in U.S. states.
Public awareness is rising rapidly.
Jonah’s Fight for Justice
Jonah has now returned to the United States.
He lives independently with very few possessions.
He works part-time in construction.
He says he suffers from Post-traumatic stress disorder but cannot afford treatment.
He recently reconnected with his biological mother in Ethiopia.
For years, he had been told she was dead.
Today, he is pursuing legal action.
He wants justice not only for himself but for other abandoned adoptees.
Once, he stood on stage as a symbol of compassion.
Now, he stands as a witness to hypocrisy.
He is no longer seeking applause.
He is seeking accountability—and the future he was promised.
