Dead infant in Kypseli: the state knew and did not intervene
An infant was found dead with ten stab wounds in Kypseli, whilst the family was already under the scrutiny of the authorities. Ta Nea highlights the gaps in the state's child protection mechanism.
Ten stab wounds and a file that was not enough
An infant was found dead in Kypseli with at least ten stab wounds to the back. As Ta Nea points out, the most troubling aspect of the case is not only what happened inside the home — but what had preceded it.
The children of the family were transferred last year to Paediatric Hospital by prosecutorial order. There was a social services file. The father allegedly removed them illegally from the hospital, without police protection. No one undertook to check under what conditions they returned.
Child protection does not end with removal from the home. It ends where monitoring stops.
Ta Nea observes that the same pattern appears repeatedly: complaints, prosecutorial orders, removals, case files. A state mechanism that is activated after abuse has already occurred, without always ensuring that it will not be repeated.
The common element among all the vulnerable — children, animals, those who cannot defend themselves — is that they depend on institutions to protect them from those who abuse them.
The state is not judged solely by the speed of its intervention. It is judged by whether it prevents the vulnerable from returning to the place from which it has just rescued them.
Source: Ta Nea