Save the children

IN THE WAKE of the death of seven-year-old Mckenzie Hope Rechier, and a claim by one of the child’s neighbours that her case was brought to the attention of authorities, but without any result, child protection agencies have evaded responsibility both before and after the final, tragic fact.

On Tuesday, the police’s Child Protection Unit – after going through the trouble of probing whether any report had been received – said no such report had materialised.

Meanwhile, the Children’s Authority confirmed it received a report and forwarded it to the police. However, it did not give a specific timeline, nor did it clarify to which police unit it sent the matter.

None of this is surprising.

This tragic case, involving a helpless child and a mother who is reportedly mentally ill and unemployed, has placed tremendous pressure on officials to demonstrate they have not dropped the ball.

But the truth is, even if a report was certainly made, there is no guarantee any of the agencies tasked with dealing with situations in which children are at risk has the resources it needs to act definitively in each case.

Thousands of reports are made to the Children’s Authority alone every year.

Whether or not agencies were in receipt of a formal report, the fact is we clearly live in a country in which what happened to Mckenzie can – and did – happen. That alone is indictment enough, regardless of who had a report and when.

It is an indictment against the systems in place to detect situations in which children may be at risk even before they come to a head. Those systems are varied and multiple, extending beyond the police or statutory bodies and including the systems of education, healthcare and social development.

Especially in districts perceived as remote or far-flung, it is also incumbent on authorities and local representatives to be aware of what is happening in their communities, or at least for their doors to be open so that residents can feel comfortable in raising concerns with them.

Additionally, this child’s death would appear to be an indictment on how this country treats the mentally ill.

There are reports that the individual believed to be responsible has a long-term history of serious mental illness, that that individual also suffered the trauma of a heartbreaking loss, and that this person slipped through the cracks of the education system, possibly due to the same health issues.

It is a universal principle that the mentally fit are responsible for their actions. But even if there were no issue of mental health here, this is a case that shows how circumstances can push individuals to tragic outcomes, perhaps notwithstanding the best of intentions.

Instead of passing the buck, the authorities should reflect on the lessons of this case.