Press release, immediate, Friday 13th July 2007
Child abuse. Who really cares?
The BBC Breakfast 11th July 2007, reported women are assaulted 35 times before anything is done about it. A woman can speak up about the assaults and put an end to the abuse. Children on the other hand have a much more difficult time when they are too young to speak out. It can be more than 35 times a child is assaulted before anyone can spot their torment then it can so bad the child is physically, mentally or emotionally damaged for life.
Who cares? It seems no-one!. When the very persons who can help spot abuse early on is ignored by the governments, even more than any other person or agency as the abuse happens behind closed doors. Grandparents are desperate to help especially when they know their son or daughter or carer is on drugs or alcohol, but the way the law is at present they have no legal right to see them and the child is still in danger.
The drawback at present is if abuse/neglect is reported by the grandparents, the social services are not interested, unless they see bruises and broken bones, if there is none, the grandparent’
Think, if you have compassion in you at all, how you would feel knowing your flesh and blood could be in danger if their parent/parents or foster carers are drunk, drugged or just plain bad to the children. Go on think about it! If you are honest and don’t get an ache in the pit of your stomach then you are not human.
The governments say grandparents should not have legal rights of contact because it would give them more rights than fathers. Rubbish! It is an entirely different kind of rights. Grandparental rights to see the children a couple of hours a month or just by modern communication to keep in touch, a helpline to someone special in their lives, someone they can talk to and trust. Someone who has insight to the kind of life they are leading and could spot abuse earlier than any agency..
The only thing grandparents want out of this is, knowing their grandchildren are safe and not being harmed. The do not want control of them. I have heard this too often, I love to see my grandchildren but thank goodness they can go back to their parents at the end of a visit does that sound like control? That is caring.
Ends
Grandparents Apart Self Help Group Scotland
22 Alness Crescent
Glasgow G52 1PJ
0141 882 5658
http://www.grandparentsapart.co.uk
