With the recent stories of crimes and violations against children hitting the media airwaves, there will always be worry and rage over why children have to be victimized and exploited in such a cruel way and what is the solution.
A man in Twiggs County, GA was arrested and charged with cruelty to a child for allegedly burning the child on undisclosed body parts and aggravated molestation after the child was taken to a pediatrician for a check-up. When the 5-year old’s mother had discovered the misdeeds against her daughter, she allegedly cut her accused boyfriend on the hand with a sword. The authorities were immediately contacted but the 25-year-old boyfriend, John Williams, had fled at the time but later turned himself in, and is now being held in custody without bail. The reaction of Mama was in defense of her child being hurt, and therefore it should not be criminalized in this case. There is a high probability that she saved her daughter’s life.
Solution or reaction are the two words that linger with a question mark over the heads of concerned parents who carry the anxiety of ensuring our children’s safety 24 hours a day, but there is a very thin line for law-abiding folks.
Sometimes the perpetrator is the very parent like Rosa Alcides Rivera, mother of 11-year old Aleyda Rivera whom she is accused of stabbing to death after believing that her daughter was having inappropriate relations with men. Rivera was arrested after showing up at the hospital with her deceased child and causing a combative scene. Reports show that Rosa had murdered her 11- year old to “prevent her from having sex with men” which is senseless because it was Aleyda who needed protection in the first place not only from child predators, but unfortunately from her own mother.
In East St Louis two employees were suspended with PAL (paid administrative leave) pending an investigation into complaints that the teacher, assisted by an aide, was stripping children naked and making them stand in a closet from anywhere up to 10 minutes as a way of calming the students. At least 4 kids were subjected to this twisted form of de-escalation and when one of the parents was alerted to the situation, a swift investigation soon followed. The damage, in the name of “calming” had already been done to the children as far as humiliating and shaming them but where is the line drawn when students are forced to remove their clothing? Does this “tactic” against something so sacred fall under discipline or violation? And how are the parents supposed to react to the solution being that the teacher and aide was suspended?
And far as the “Neverland Ranch” documentary goes, it was disturbing to see innocence lost but you cannot bring a dead man to justice and convict him and that is a sour note.
The laws put into place to protect the young are in need of serious upgrades and big kudos to the lawmakers, parents and advocates who ride with the no-nonsense fierceness that push for more protection for our future and punishment for offenses. Personally, When I saw a man who committed a horrible crime against a child get a lower bail than the man who got busted with a half a gram of rock cocaine because of race and class conditions I knew that the struggle, even for children, continued.
(Although) poverty skolars are understanding and open-minded to the fact that there is a pattern of un-healed, traumatized broken spirits that repeat the cycle by hurting others, however we must not compromise safety with the constant stamping of lives (files) with a diagnosis or dollars signs. There are still individuals in the world who are just cowards who prey on the innocent and defenseless with punity and without ownership. (If) poverty and power has a role in the outcome then how can we as parents rely on solutions? What is the healing process for all those involved? And how do we protect the children?
Queennandi Xsheba, PNN KEXU