The worst they had ever seen…

Social workers involved in the case said

the abuse and neglect were

the worst they had ever seen…

Woman Sentenced in Abuse Case

Can't help wondering... what you're wondering about when people, sometimes including social workers and judges, say a case of child abuse and neglect is "the worst they had ever seen?"

Ever notice how often those words are used in articles on child abuse and neglect cases? Makes me want to scream, "then maybe its time you opened your eyes so you will see what's happening all around you!" Every day accounts of horrific child abuse and neglect are in the news. Sometimes pictures are included…


On what scale can anyone possibly weigh any child abuse and neglect as "worst" whether of those seen, or otherwise? On which scale are there markings in green for acceptable levels of abuse, orange for iffy ones, and red for worst abuses? And why, on what scale of justice, is remorse enough to tip the scale in favor of the person who committed the worst abuse ever seen?

..........................WARNING!….......................
The following details may bother you to see...
I'm sure they bothered the children more to feel…

In one case in today's news, the 4-5 year old child was covered with bruises and "seriously malnourished," had "sometimes been tied up and her mouth taped shut," and "kept in the basement many times." The child was placed with the woman by a system that failed to "see" the problems until neighbors complained.
And the court's decision on this one? Because the woman showed remorse, the judge decided against a jail term. She is sentenced to "counseling for alcohol and drug abuse and for anger management, and, if required, go into a residential program for treatment of problems with alcohol." What does it say about a system where "the worst they had ever seen" receives no more than that as a sentence?
Another case today, described as "among the 'most devastating' he's seen" involved a toddler with chemical burns on her face, hands and eyes that could result in her "losing her vision," According to the account, "The girl also suffered hemorrhages in both eyes and at least 50 cuts on her hands. Doctors discovered seven broken bones in her left hand and five in her right, which they believe were caused by “violent squeezing or blows directly to the hands,” the documents state…. Patches of her hair were missing as were two teeth, injuries which doctors’ said were consistent with blunt force trauma."

Seeing may be believing, but sometimes not seeing doesn't mean not believing... sometimes not seeing means having to believe something worse than what you might have seen had you been willing to see in the first place.

Share Information on At Risk Children
"...no one seemed to have noticed that, for at least two weeks, they hadn’t seen the four children living there. The marshals made a horrifying discovery: The girls, ages 5, 6, 11 and 17, were all dead, apparently killed by their mother…"

We can't share, what we won't see. If we see more, share more, maybe someday there won't be any more "worst cases" of child abuse and neglect for anyone to see?

FYI: http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=%2bworst+child+abuse+ever+see+&FORM=RCRE3
[You will see there are 2,890,000 hits for "worst child abuse ever seen"!]

A Child is Waiting,
Take care...be aware,
Nancy Lee