Bells
Staff member
Imagine if you will, a 3 year old child living in a household with her mother, stepfather, aunt and grandparents. The mother and stepfather are both drug addicts and the child is in the care of her 18 year old aunt when the aunt is not at school (other times it appears she is left in the care of her mother and stepfather). The child is abused by her stepfather and the grandparents often comment on his and the mothers drug addiction and abuse of the child. Their interference stops there however.
Now imagine one day the child falls ill and begins to vomit (lets say it is a stomach upset). Her stepfather orders her to only throw up in a bucket and to not go to sleep. Unfortunately, she throws up on herself and closes her eyes. This angers her drug addicted stepfather so much that he decides to push her body against the basin in the bathroom, with his full weight bearing down onto her 15kg body. This is done in an attempt to scare her. He has apparently done this before and it has scared her enough to listen to what he wanted her to do. There is a difference this time however. The difference is she dies on this particular occasion.
Sadly this story is not one wrought from my imagination. This actually happened to a 3 year old girl.Link
Now my question here is not about what this man's punishment should be. What I would like to ask you is whether any of you think the mother, grandparents and aunt should be charged with neglect and not contacting the authorities when they knew this little girl was being abused.
Should they have interceded on her behalf and gotten her out of the situation she was in before it ended like it did?
Do you think the other family members who lived in that house should bear some responsibility for what happened to this child under their very noses?
Now imagine one day the child falls ill and begins to vomit (lets say it is a stomach upset). Her stepfather orders her to only throw up in a bucket and to not go to sleep. Unfortunately, she throws up on herself and closes her eyes. This angers her drug addicted stepfather so much that he decides to push her body against the basin in the bathroom, with his full weight bearing down onto her 15kg body. This is done in an attempt to scare her. He has apparently done this before and it has scared her enough to listen to what he wanted her to do. There is a difference this time however. The difference is she dies on this particular occasion.
Sadly this story is not one wrought from my imagination. This actually happened to a 3 year old girl.Link
Now my question here is not about what this man's punishment should be. What I would like to ask you is whether any of you think the mother, grandparents and aunt should be charged with neglect and not contacting the authorities when they knew this little girl was being abused.
Should they have interceded on her behalf and gotten her out of the situation she was in before it ended like it did?
Quach's intention to harm Liliana was highlighted at the time of his arrest, when he told police: "(Dieu's) parents started saying stuff, they said me and Dieu were junkies and we bashed her (Liliana). I thought if I'm going to be accused of it, I might as well do it."
Another family member who lived at the house said Liliana appeared scared of Quach, who would sometimes drag her crying into his bedroom.
Do you think the other family members who lived in that house should bear some responsibility for what happened to this child under their very noses?