Making " Neglect " a Crime !

It seems that there is a lack of specific laws available to police and child protection agencies when they encounter children with psychological abuse or who are withheld from education or mixing with others of a similar age group.  From time to time explosive stories burst onto the nightly news.  We remember the eight year old boy locked away in a shipping container because his carers were running a drug factory - and that awful incident where a young girl literally starved to death, locked in a bedroom which served as her toilet.  Whatever food she was allowed was pushed in under the door.

It is proposed that we enact a new law similar to one in force in Western Australia that delivers a ten years prison sentence for " emotionally abusing children or failing to educate them ".  The danger in that line of thinking is that it seeks to punish the person responsible, but does nothing to actually improve the rehabilitation the victims need.

In most cases when serious neglect of a child is discovered the state steps in and places that child " in it's care " !  That probably means the use of a foster home or an institution - and that has a history we would much rather forget.  Somehow there is something in the human psyche that turns decent people into child abusers when ultimate power is placed in their hands.  Clearly, in the past it has corrupted churches and even hallowed institutions such as the Salvation Army and the Scout movement.  Sexual abuse and child exploitation are legion whenever a well intentioned entity steps in to provide what they see as a " service of social necessity " !

" Removal of the child "  is fraught with unintentional consequences.  In another era an event occurred which we now refer to as the " Stolen Generation ", but at that time it was done with good intent.  The horror that was " Parramatta Girl's Home " was put in place with very good intentions, but now the silence has been broken and we are horrified at what went on behind those grim walls. We need to make sure that we do not go about making the same mistake - again !

There are instances where removal is the only option, but generally the child is safer if intervention can modify the attitude of the carer and bring the situation under control.  The state has a right to insist that children in the care of their parents are decently housed, adequately fed and given both an education and the opportunity to interact with others in their age group.  That is the function of our child protection agencies.

The problem is that these agencies have impossible case loads.  If money is to be spent on child protection, easing that pressure should be the highest priority, and equipping those workers with  the powers to bring results would be money well spent.   The time factor to make repeated calls to ensure that behaviour modifications are in place and working would go a long way to solving most problems.

Often child neglect is the result of alcoholism or drug addiction and the care of younger siblings rests in the hands of a slightly older child.  That is often better accepted than removal because the bond between the children remains unbroken and they are safer from harm within the family unit - than dispersed and under the care of strangers.

A law change to make neglect a crime becomes a useful weapon in a social workers armoury to bring about change.  Sometimes a credible threat is the way of achieving compliance !