Look out for signs of abuse in your child. Lean more below...
Most parents tend to lavish on their beloved children, can we blame them? No. It’s so natural that, we as parents, long to give our children the best in every possible scenario. Why? Sheer unconditional love is the answer.
Apparently not all parents subscribe to this love as seen in this case where a father and step mother locked two sons in a filthy cellar while they lived in comfort on the upper level.
Living in inhuman quarters
We have read shocking details about the inhuman ways some parents treat their children. Some lock up their children like animals in dog cages and even feed them dog food and others incestuously rape their own daughters for decades on end, fathering multiple children without guilt.
RELATED: Parents keep children locked in dog cages
In this case, two boys, 12-year-old Damien and 10-year-old Hugo, were locked out in the dark cellar as discovered by the Paris police. For three years they were living in a sordid cellar that had not been cleaned ever. There was no electricity and no toilet--there was definitely no windows to allow natural light in. Their father had allegedly starved them and had frequently beat them up with a belt.The boys slept on a bare mattress, with their own excrements all around.
RELATED: Stepfather rapes girl for 10 years with mum's knowledge
The great escape
Damien, the older boy, had fled the house and beelined for the local police station in Bondy, north-east of Paris. He reported the unbearable conditions that he and his brother had been forced to live in. The police then investigated the boy’s claims.
According to reports, Deve Maboungou, of UNSA police revealed: “When the police arrived they found a mattress and excrement - it was just as the boy had said.” Officers also found “scratches and burst blood vessels” on the arms of the boys. The source also said: “They slept on mattresses on the floor, without sheets, in the middle of their own mess” in a cellar that “was in an advanced state of decay.”
The boys did go to school during the day but they would return to the filthy cellar by night.
A turbulent childhood
The abuse had started when their drug-addict mother had moved out and the dad had moved in with another woman (now their stepmother). This woman, 44, has two sons of her own-- a seven-year-old who lives who attends a private school and is able to live comfortably with the parents on the level above the cellar, and a 17-year-old.
What is abuse?
Are you and your children subject to abuse? Remember, abuse is not just physical. It can be emotional as well. Someone can torture you emotionally, driving you to insanity or even suicide. Neglect is another form of abuse. Many children cannot fend for themselves, rendering them helpless and in need of adult care and supervision. Serious neglect can cause death in some instances.
RELATED: Child abused by adult relatives
Look out for signs of abuse
If you are not the one abusing your child, there might be other people that may be victimizing your child without your knowledge or suspicions. Here is a list of signs of abuse to keep an eye on
- They seem exceptionally withdrawn, anxious or even fearful all the time
- Displaying extremes in behaviour (excessive aggression, compliance, passiveness etc.)
- Not acting his or her age (adult tendencies: caring for younger kids, childlike: retreating in terms of development and regressing to thumb-sucking or rocking)
- Distant and detached from the caregiver or parent
- Unexplained bruises, cuts, welts or marks on the bodies
- Avoids your touch, affected by sudden movements, avoids going home (or a certain place where the abuse happens)
- Constantly “on alert” and watchful—on guard for an “attack”
- Wearing clothes that are not climate appropriate—to hide marks on bodies
- Sexual abuse signs: trouble sitting down or walking, strong aversion to a person, keenly interested in sexual acts that are not age-appropriate, strangely seductive, STDs, does not want to expose any body part while changing.
RELATED: Child abuse hurts, end it now!
We cannot stress enough to keep your eyes peels for these signs of abuse. Catching them early is essential to prevent further damage to your child. Let us know if you would like to share more signs of abuse with us.