People who abuse their children are not sick, because that would imply that they could be cured. Abusers are not ill. They are evil. Some people cannot be helped, and if drugs and alcohol are involved, it only makes change more unlikely.
I was very moved by the case of Andrew "AJ" Freund, the five-year-old boy from Crystal Lake, Illinois, whose parents beat him to death after putting him in a cold shower for an extended period. They called the police to report a missing child three days after murdering him on April 15. In the 911 call, you can hear the father calmly talk about his missing son to the operator. Again, this is pure evil.
"How could anyone do such a thing?" we ask ourselves. "If you don't want him, give him to me." I continue to shake my head in disbelief about this senseless killing. They don't have a death penalty in Illinois, but in this case they should reconsider.
Authorities came to the home several times in AJ's short life, and he was taken away, but they always let him return. AJ's first removal from the home was as a newborn, when he was found to have opiates in his system, but the people in charge brought him back to his parents. Someone missed something really big here. The system failed AJ.
While "looking" for AJ, the parents were in court trying to get his younger brother back (he had been removed from the home by Child Protective Services). Thank the gods that this child is now physically safe. I cannot imagine how he will cope as he grows up, but at least he has the chance now.
The whole story is heartbreaking. According to reports drug abuse was apparently involved. Drug abuse and physical abuse seem to go hand in hand. This is only part of the reason certain so-called medications need to be taken off the market. The government is stepping up, and some arrests have been made, including that of a 75-year-old former pharma company CEO on charges of drug trafficking. But the drug problem is still out of control. Addicts will stop at nothing to get their fix, and counseling can only do so much.
Abuse investigators are often stretched to their limits, and most abusers are also really good liars. Still, I don't understand how an investigator could fall for a parent saying, "Oh those marks on his body happened when the dog jumped on him." And I'm not the only one. The outcry is coming from people all over the country. Thanks to AJ, most anyone working with children is now taking an even harder look at abuse issues.
The sad reality is that some abuse cases will continue to fall through the cracks _ not to mention the many cases that go unreported. This is why we as caring human beings have to be part of that greater village it takes to raise a child. If we see something inappropriate happening to a child, we need to report it to someone in power and then follow up to make sure they have done something.
It's too late for AJ, but you may be able to save someone else by just saying what you see (taking a video would be even better). One of AJ's neighbors said to the news, "I wondered why they kept bringing him back." Me too, lady, me too.
