bluephinChild Abuse - Would You Report It?
September 7th 2006 10:55
Young Mya is 14 months old. She’s a pretty little thing, with blonde wispy hair that curls around her face and beautiful, sparkling blue eyes. Like most babies she can be mischievous, she can cry and she can get sick. She’s not long learned to walk and still has the odd tumble resulting in a scrape here or there. When this happens, she looks to the adults around her for comfort, as any child would. If you manage to comfort her, through her drying tears she’ll reward you with a four tooth grin.
Could you imagine anyone trying to hurt her?
On Thursday 25th May 2006, little Mya spilt cough medicine on her outfit. Instead of changing her clothes, her ‘babysitter’ decided to put her in the dryer. He turned the dryer on and left Mya in there for two minutes, her fragile body being tossed around like a leaf caught in a whirlpool. Mya was bruised, burnt, blistered and extremely distressed.
It was a hideous act that resulted in the accused being sentenced to jail for 8 months. Yet, sadly, acts of child abuse happen more frequently than the general public realize.
In New South Wales, crimes of child abuse are investigated by the Department of Community Services [DoCS] and the police. This month DoCS have released a report on information gained through focus groups on community attitudes to child protection, foster care and parenting. The report is titled Spotlight on Safety.
One of the statistics presented in this report states that the probability of a child born today being reported to DoCS by the time they are 18 is 1 in 5. However, when asked to estimate the number of abuse cases reported to DoCS over 50% from the focus groups estimated that the level of reports would be less than 5000.
In reality, DoCS receives over 200 000 reports per year.
In 2004/05, there were 216 386 reports of child abuse received by DoCS.
In New South Wales there are people who are called ‘mandatory reporters’. These are people who are required, by law, to report suspicions of child abuse to the police or the Department of Community Services. These people include child care workers, teachers and doctors. Reporting statistics show that 75% of child abuse reports are made by these mandatory reporters.
This means that only 25% are made by the general community.
If it was mandatory for all citizens to report child abuse would this help to decrease its occurrence? If the community were more aware of what constitutes child abuse would they be more prepared to report it? Why are the rates of child abuse increasing - is it because of a lack of parenting support or is it lack of education? Could someone have prevented what happened to little Mya?
Would you report any suspicions of child abuse?
Could you imagine anyone trying to hurt her?
On Thursday 25th May 2006, little Mya spilt cough medicine on her outfit. Instead of changing her clothes, her ‘babysitter’ decided to put her in the dryer. He turned the dryer on and left Mya in there for two minutes, her fragile body being tossed around like a leaf caught in a whirlpool. Mya was bruised, burnt, blistered and extremely distressed.
It was a hideous act that resulted in the accused being sentenced to jail for 8 months. Yet, sadly, acts of child abuse happen more frequently than the general public realize.
In New South Wales, crimes of child abuse are investigated by the Department of Community Services [DoCS] and the police. This month DoCS have released a report on information gained through focus groups on community attitudes to child protection, foster care and parenting. The report is titled Spotlight on Safety.
One of the statistics presented in this report states that the probability of a child born today being reported to DoCS by the time they are 18 is 1 in 5. However, when asked to estimate the number of abuse cases reported to DoCS over 50% from the focus groups estimated that the level of reports would be less than 5000.
In reality, DoCS receives over 200 000 reports per year.
In 2004/05, there were 216 386 reports of child abuse received by DoCS.
In New South Wales there are people who are called ‘mandatory reporters’. These are people who are required, by law, to report suspicions of child abuse to the police or the Department of Community Services. These people include child care workers, teachers and doctors. Reporting statistics show that 75% of child abuse reports are made by these mandatory reporters.
This means that only 25% are made by the general community.
If it was mandatory for all citizens to report child abuse would this help to decrease its occurrence? If the community were more aware of what constitutes child abuse would they be more prepared to report it? Why are the rates of child abuse increasing - is it because of a lack of parenting support or is it lack of education? Could someone have prevented what happened to little Mya?
Would you report any suspicions of child abuse?
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Comment by annonymous
Comment by MelissaA
Fun Facts
I remember one girl I knew years ago who was being abused by her stepfather along with her step sisters and the mother knew all about it.
Not only didn't she report it, but when the girl finally went to the police and managed to convince her sister to go with her also, the mother found out about it, took both of them down to the police station and tried to make them retract the statements. The sister retracted but she didn't so the police came and took him away anyway.
That police operation that they have every year (sorry forget the name) where you can dob in suspected abuse anonymously is really good, we've actually rung that line and dobbed in somebody we know who was abusing 2 of his own children.
But the biggest problem after having the authorities find these people is not just getting a conviction, it's getting a reasonable sentence!
Comment by Cinico
Small Business Scope
Melissa, you are absolutely right. In many cases families turn a blind eye to abuse - most children have aunts, uncles and grandparents....are they not seeing that there's something wrong?
Although in some cases, particularly when the abuse isn't physical, it's difficult to determine whether or not it has occurred.
The sentences for child abuse do appear to be lenient - especially in the case of little Mya.
It's good to see that you feel strongly enough about innocent children to report suspect cases. Hopefully, there are more people like you out there!
Comment by Smiley Eyes
It's life long trauma to the victim... after all it’s the victim who carries the scare not the abuser!!
Comment by Cinico
Small Business Scope
If the offender was someone outside of the family home, then not only would the child who suffered the abuse be counselled but also the other significant family members.
Still, no matter how much counselling they have it's difficult to imagine that the pain (both emotionally and physically) would ever leave them.
Thanks for your comment Smiley Eyes.
Comment by MelissaA
Fun Facts
More often than not they get away with a slap on the wrist or a couple of miserable years in jail while thier victims serve a life sentence not of their own making.
The injustice of it all doesn't get any better than that.
Counselling can help manage the long term effects of the abuse but it can never take it away.
Having the offender imprisoned does do a lot for the psyche of those abused however, and knowing that at some point in the near future their abusers will be out of prison again is extremely agitating to those abused who were able to feel just a little safer when their perpetrators were locked up.
Comment by Helen's House
It's time we focussed very much more of society's efforts on the needs of our children.
As for child abusers, I believe we have to send them the strongest messages that we are intolerant of child abuse. I believe pedophiles should never have another opportunity to approach a child, ever (meaning life imprisonment without release at least). Child pornographic viewing should be treated the same way. Such people are incurable because they have gone past the limits of any sensitivities or moral values of their own choice and can never be trusted. Strong messages are needed from the law courts and the children should be protected AT ALL COSTS!
Comment by Anonymous
What an awful and distressing story. I'm glad that the offender was punished even though I think the sentence should have been longer.
I think we all have a responsibility to protect children that we suspect are in danger. I've worked as a Youth Worker and dealt with DOCS frequently and know from experience that they are often in a difficult position. They are underpaid, over-worked and usually the first port of call for blame. Their case loads are awfully high, I was shocked when I was told that they can be responsible for at least 20 cases (and that was a while ago, I don't have recent experience). They can also be blamed if the child is removed and blamed if the child isn't and then something awful happens.
A few years ago, my four-year-old cousin was killed by her mother's de-facto. I didn't know that she was in danger, I know that I would have definitely done something, anything to prevent that from happening. The perpetrator was charged and given a long sentence, something to be grateful for, but the mother was/is free despite evidence that she knew of the abuse, as it had been happening for a while. When she took her child to the hospital, she ran away when the doctor told her she couldn't leave because the injuries were suspicious and it needed to be reported to DOCS. She took her injured child and left. Her child died a week later after another assault. In other words, the mother knew and aided the perpetrator.
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by Cinico
Small Business Scope
Thank you for your comment.
What a horrible story. It appears that people become adept at hiding signs of abuse from other people. Yours is a terrible story, unforutnately it's one that is too common these days.
I feel for the DOCS workers who are, as you said, underpaid and overworked. I could only begin to imagine how hearing story after story of neglect and abuse would affect you.
They are typically in a catch 22 situation. Damned if they do and damned if they don't. And, when something does go wrong - it's DOCS fault. Yet out of the large volume of cases they receive every year you often only hear of one or two 'bungled' cases - how quickly people can forget the good they do.
Cinico
Comment by Cinico
Small Business Scope
Comment by Anonymous
PS: I don't exclude that this is mistake, but I want to be sure.