Expert speaks about child abuse in light of Jayden-Lee Meek case
Advocacy head highlights signs of abuse and importance of reporting and holding authorities accountable.
In light of the developments in the Jayden-Lee Meek case, the Roodepoort Record spoke to Luke Lamprecht, the head of Advocacy for Women and Men against Child Abuse, to gain insight into the alarming number of cases of mothers being accused of murdering their children.
Lamprecht said it is very common for children to be abused by their immediate family.
“In the last eight court cases I’ve been involved in at the High Court, every single case has been either the mother, father, stepfather, or stepmother. I don’t recall any case where the child was murdered by someone unknown,” he said.
He added that while the motive behind these murders is unclear, it is essential to understand that most of these children are unplanned and are usually abandoned by their mothers after their fathers abandoned them first.
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“As a result, they see their children as a burden and not as individuals that need to be cared for. They see the child as an interruption to their lives, and there’s a phrase where we say ‘their births are not celebrated, and their deaths are not mourned’,” he explained.
“I have no doubt that police should be stricter when investigating these cases because most of the time, community members do report the abuse, but they are not taken seriously, and later, they find that the child has been murdered.”
Luke said common signs or indicators of child abuse include deliberate neglect, where the child is not adequately washed or dressed despite available resources.
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“Other signs include long absenteeism, the child not participating in sports, marks or injuries in uncommon areas, and the emotional state of the child, where they confess themselves that they are being abused.
“After these signs have been spotted, it is crucial to report them for investigation. What society must understand is that we report to get support; we don’t make accusations. We also need to hold authorities accountable by doing regular follow-ups,” he concluded.
