Child protection #2
Related to the previous story, I received a letter from a concerned reader with another sad story to tell. She is worried about the welfare of her nieces and nephews.
It distresses me to hear and tell stories of children being improperly treated and not being given the love they need.
Children are society’s most important asset. Here is Jane’s letter:
I bought the Kalgoorlie Miner today (Saturday, March 3) and I am very saddened by your story on the abused and neglected boy Jason. I just felt the urgent need to write this letter to you in support for the gentleman and his young son.
I have so many questions that I am sure will not get answered as this is the world or society that we live in today but I believe in my heart that you will try and help us in any way possible. How can this happen to our children?
I am a mother and I love my child more than life itself and I would move heaven and earth to help my child and I can’t imagine what this father is going through but surely the system is not that bad? Oh yes it is.
I have had a similar experience. I have a sister who as long as I can remember has been having children so she can get Mr Costello’s (or should I say our) hard-earned taxpayers’ money.
She has six children to the same father (amazing, yes I know), takes drugs on a daily basis and the children are not clothed or given regular meal times, let alone decent food when she can be bothered feeding them. This year in January I went to visit my sister and her boyfriend and my lovely nieces and nephews.
I was very upset to walk in to see the house covered in a total mess, washing in the washing machine that had been there for three weeks because the washing machine was broken, the toilet door had a sign on it “Don’t use broken”, clothes all over the floor, dirty dishes in the sink, two days they had been there. The children had poor hygiene, don’t shower every day because the cost is too much for water and the list goes on.
The children are sleeping on a piece of foam as a bed with no cover on it and one blanket. No food in the house, oh there was if you count half a loaf of mouldy bread and a litre of milk which was out of date by three weeks in the fridge and a pot of fat on the hot plate.
I, being the big sister, ask my sister “what the hell is going on?”
Her only reply was: “Man it’s hard on the money we get. I need my daily fix and alcohol and the kids get whatever’s left over!”
I went out and brought $600 worth of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and general household items. I cut up the meat, froze the things that needed freezing and prepared the evening meal for them.
The boyfriend said: “Thanks I have been down on my luck lately.” I replied: “Yeah mate, for 10 years!”
His reply was: “Come on, that’s a bit hard but thanks for the stuff man.”
They receive over $1500 a fortnight in payments from the Government and receive a five-bedroom house and cheap rent but this is still not enough.
The week got better. The children said: “Can we come and stay with you for a while? It has to be better than this”.
I said: “That’s up to your mum”.
She said: “Yes, you can have all of them except the baby” (which was only nine months old).
I rang my husband and he said: “Yes, if this if this is what you really want and you do it the right way”.
That day I went and saw a lawyer and she told me straight out: “Even if you get a letter signed by your sister and her boyfriend stating full custody goes to you and your husband and living arrangements and visiting rights you would have an uphill battle.”
That didn’t concern me; the children needed a better environment than what they were in every day. It cost me $1500 in legal fees but I made it happen.
My sister still stated that she still wanted the money from the Government. I said I would see what I could arrange. Knowing this was wrong and wouldn’t be possible, all I could do was try.
I told my sister that I would be back in a day, two at the most as she lived in a small country town and all the legal requirements were done in the city.
She said: “Yeah do what you have to do okay, sis?” I said: “Okay, see you soon.”
I returned two days later only to find that my sister, her boyfriend and my nieces and nephews had since left their house and to this day no one knows where they have gone but I have rung on many occasions children’s services which I feel has only fallen on deaf ears. They just up and left and only took the bare basics, clothes and food.
I was very, very upset not only with my sister but with myself and the system that just keeps failing. My nieces and nephews don’t deserve to live like this.
All they wanted was love and support, not to be told every time they turned around to “f*** off” outside, stop being in my face you “b***”.
I think every day what would happen if only the justice system was working. What is going to happen to my nieces and nephews?
They are going to grow up to be pregnant or in trouble with the law and be very dysfunctional young beings. My heart goes out to them every day.
There are so many people out there that are spending thousands of dollars and not getting any closer and taking matters in to their own hands like in your report.
Why can’t we make our politicians accountable? How many young lives have to be ruined or maybe result in death if we won’t do anything?
Maybe I should become a politician; at least I would not pass the buck. I would make myself accountable for my actions. We need answers and we need help today. Something has to be done!
Isnt Australia supposed to be the lucky country?
Jane, Boulder.
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