Whose at fault when children gone missing

[nixie_SC]

Following the horrific murder (http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Frontpage/20070923074549/Article/index_html) of an eight year old child. Several difficult issues have emerged. One in particular seem very brutal at a time such as this. I don't know where I stand on this issue . What do you think, Should parents of missing children be charged with negligence?


Do we really want to blame the parents? How do we make the community better a community where children can run around unassisted and still return home unharm.

[davious]

If its a case where the parent leaves the child alone in a public place, yes I think we do have some right to blame the parents. But it depends a lot on the particular situation the child disappeared. If the kid is running around the backyard, while mom or dad is inside, and the child is playing in what is reasonably expected to be a safe environment, I don't think the parents should be charged with negligence. I don't think anyone would argue that playing in your backyard unsupervised by parents leaves you particularly vulnerable to being kidnapped/murdered...its not the same thing as letting your child run free at the county fair, or shopping mall, where there are thousands of strangers running around. If you take your child to a busy mall or something, and then leave them alone while you clothes shop, not paying attention to them, and your child disappears, I think you should shoulder some of the blame, and possibly be charged with negligence. The Mall is clearly not as protected an environment as your backyard is, its far less under your control, so small children require more supervision in a location like that than they would in other places. Some situations simply require less supervision than others, and some require more.

I live in a community where children can run around unassisted and still return home unharmed. What makes it so? Well, for one thing, my parents, my neighbors, and other families on the block actually talked to each other. We didn't isolate ourselves in our own yard. So, as a kid, I was familiar with who lived where, which also meant that if one of us got in trouble, we weren't afraid to knock on their doors. Our community had a Child Watch sign in every other window. Basically, neighbors on our block weren't strangers to each other. That helped make at least our block safe. I would also suggest that if you are less rigid about where your child can ride their bikes, make sure that they do it in groups. You are far safer if you are with a small group of kids than you are playing alone. You are less likely to become a target of a predator if you are just one of a group of 5 kids playing, than if you are isolated and alone. Strength in numbers.

[Amish Nick_SC]

Who's fault is it? Why certainly it is the government's fault! They should be watching after our children and protecting them! Not the parents. Why should parents take responsibility for their own children? Isn't that why we pay taxes and have laws?

[SilentPsycho]

I think it depends on the situation. Not every mother who loses her child, even for one second, is neglectful. Don't forget that kids are Masters of Escapeology. When I was a kid, all it took was for my Mum to take her eye off me for one second to apologise to someone she bumped into, and I was gone. It practically became a family joke.

[KismetRose]

Charging parents with negligence when their children go missing would have to happen on a case by case basis in order for the process to be just. There are plenty of good parents who lose track of their kids - and usually lose their minds trying to find them again. And it is so very easy to blame the parents for crimes committed against children. Such crimes offend something deep inside most people and we desperately need to rationalize them and find someone to blame. But such cases must be handled carefully because so many parents *aren't* to blame, and slapping charges on people who are already suffering makes everything worse.