Letter: Baby P case shames us all
Friday 14th August 2009, 7:04AM BST.
Letter: Most today would say that what folk do in their own homes is their own business and does not concern the rest of us. But the latest sordid details emerging from the family background of Baby P shame us all as a country.
We are all responsible for letting standards slip to such an extent that this child and thousands like him suffer abuse and torture and death daily.
The mother and her men friends shared a squalid home with eight children where drinking, drugs and watching hard core porn were the main occupations.
As a member of the older generation I hold up my hands and confess that we are guilty of allowing this way of living to become normal for many in our once proud country.
We did not stand up and be counted when the Labour Government in the 60s liberalised everything and pandered to the lowest in human nature.
Ron Jones
Oswestry
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Firstly, I agree, we should all hang our heads in shame that anyone, let alone a small defenceless child, should be systematically tortured in this way over an extended period of time, and no one knew, heard, raised concerns of intervened.
The question is, have things really got that much worse over the last 40 years or so, or is it simply that the media is getting more accs to the infomation and willing to print the revelations.
Either way, it’s not hard, nor too late to reverse the trend, regain law and order, and equally teach people respect for each other again – what it needs is a political will to ride the rough sea there undoubtedly will be initially from the vocal minority with possibly the most to lose.
I would suggest the silent majority of the population, the hard working, law abiding people who simply go about their lives would wish for this but therein lies the main obstacle – they are the SILENT majority ……
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Everything about the Baby P case is tragic. The circumstances of his death are nothing to do with the liberalisation of the 1960s and to suggest so is pointless. Children have been abused for hundreds and thousands of years. We are merely more aware now for many reasons. We should learn and be vigilant to the many indicators of child abuse that come to the attention of a range of professionals. As a society we can also be alert. We should also be aware of the consequences of abuse in children when they become adults. We might then learn to judge less, understand more, and actively try to help instead of just punish or criminalise. Stuart, Peter and others who work within the criminal justice system and related services will know what I’m on about. This is not about excusing behaviour – for only in rare circumstances is offending excused – it is about understanding and trying to prevent repetitions.
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