Another horrifying example of the failure of the authorities in protecting children from abuse. There had been several complaints about the sexual abuse of three children over the past four years but no-one did anything. Their mother who was using them as sex slaves was finally taken to court in April and denied custody of them but not banned from access. The trial begins today.

Why wasn’t something done sooner ?

According to experts, the problem is that public services – and the general public – avoid getting involved as they want to stay away from protracted legal action.

“The fear of getting dragged through six or seven years of court action as witnesses tends to act as a deterrent,” said Giorgos Nikolaidis of the Institute of Child Health.

As a result, many services whose role it is to protect children actually turn a blind eye or make neutral statements on cases

Read the whole article in Kathimerini

Technorati: greece, child abuse, sexual abuse, child welfare