The foster care system in the United States is a looming threat for some Bangladeshi parents unaccustomed to American child abuse laws. Western methods of disciplining children are seldom used by Bangladeshi parents, whose family traditions include more extreme measures of keeping children under control, methods deemed essential to help children grow and mature. However in the Unite States, such measures often constitute child abuse.

In public institutions like schools or hospitals, parents fear their children will unwittingly expose bruises or lacerations inflicted by disciplinarian methods standard in Bangladesh. Often times in these instances, children have been removed from their families and placed in foster care. Though the foster care system is secure, mothers in the Bangladeshi communities remain concerned.

Rabiya Akhter, a recent Bangladeshi immigrant, expressed her concern about her (badly- behaved) son. While in Bangladesh, the boy would often physically antagonize his family members, including his own aunts and uncles. After harsh disciplinary measures from these adult relatives, the boy did not hesitate to exclaim to his mother that he had been beaten for no reason. Now in the United States, Rabiya fears she will go to jail if this pattern continues. If the boy tells people he has been beaten or abused, the authorities could investigate the matter and the boy might be removed from his home, his family facing criminal charges.

Shanta Rani, a working mother, shared her own experience. One day at work, her husband called and explained that their two children were suddenly placed in foster care because of child abuse. Shanta's husband and their nine-year-old son rushed their baby daughter to the nearby Elmhurst Hospital after she began choking on food. After removing object that was lodged in the baby's throat, the hospital noticed visible signs of abuse on the nine-year-old boy. Further investigation revealed that he had been physically abused at home. Law enforcement quickly placed the two children in foster care.

Ms. Rani pleaded with law enforcement agencies but was unable to keep her children. After going through court, she was granted only limited visitation rights. After one year, her son was returned, but she says she still spends many sleepless nights awaiting her daughter's return.

According to a survey conducted by ABC News, some 800,000 children are brought into the foster care system in America each year; some a result of lost parents, mentally unstable parents, and in this scenario, abusive parents.

Of the total children, 48 percent are placed with non-relative care providers, 24 percent are placed with relatives, 18 percent are placed in a home or institution, 4 percent are placed with a pre-adoption care provider, and 6 percent are placed in various other places and institutions.

Most of the children under foster care are under the age of 10. The racial makeup is 40 percent Caucasian, 34 percent African-American, 18 percent Hispanic, and 8 percent other. Foster care service is provided to children up to 18 years of age, after which they are released. It's estimated that 30 percent of these children become homeless.