Local

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Enough -- litany of slain kids must stop

Posted: 07/15/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

The woman accused of killing her toddler while living at a native women's transition centre is about to give birth again. Sweet Mother of God, will it never stop?

The accused -- and her dead baby -- were under the direct supervision of Child and Family Services.

The woman, whom the Free Press is not naming, has been charged with second-degree murder. Her baby was rushed to hospital on June 29 and died there.

The police said there were signs the girl had been physically abused throughout her life.

The mother, who has been charged with second-degree murder, follows a long list of other CFS-monitored clients who have injured or killed their kids.

The Free Press has documented the deaths, writing thousands of words about CFS, the flaws in the system, the damaged children, the overworked social workers and the lost generations raised by f caregivers, some sufficient and others simply evil.

For our efforts, we have been branded racists, accused of blocking the efforts to reform child welfare, charged with relaying too many details about kids in care and damned as naysayers who won't give CFS a chance to iron out the kinks -- And the kids keep dying.

The very day I wrote my last column about the failures of CFS, a piece that described the short life and brutal death of Venecia Audy, this latest mother was being charged with killing her two-year-old.

In Venecia's case, her mother was given a year in jail for failing to provide the necessities of life to her three-year-old. The woman's former boyfriend is charged with the actual killing. CFS had been involved with Melissa Audy from the time she had her first child. Venecia had been sexually tortured and her skull fractured.

How could this most recent death occur while both mother and child were supposed to be under supervision? Have we learned nothing from the sad litany of slain children?

The system has failed again, in spectacular, predictable and tragic fashion.

As for how the woman, who has already given birth to three children, is able to bring another child into the world, the mind boggles. She was living at the women's transition home, but was not a prisoner there. If she was looking for a date, she was able to find one.

The woman lost her first child to CFS in 2004. Her second was seized at birth, returned to the mother by CFS and seized again after ongoing concerns about the child's safety.

The dead girl was also seized at birth but, with CFS approval, was returned last December. The mom was ordered to live at the centre.

Presumably, this new child will also be seized at birth. One can only hope mommy doesn't get a second crack at this one when her trial is over.

I'm at a loss to understand any of this. There's no question that CFS is filled with compassionate people who work hard under tremendous stress. They need smaller caseloads, more training and the power to sometimes say that the best thing for a child is never seeing her birth parents again.

But change can only come from the top, from senior bureaucrats and politicians who can't be allowed to look away from the horror being inflicted on the children they are supposed to protect. It has to come from the aboriginal leadership, too, because so many of these children are members of First Nations.

It is also time to ask the uncomfortable, politically incorrect question of how many opportunities we allow women (and their partners) to continue the cycle of babies and abuse.

Enough standing by blindly as children have their own children, perpetuating the casual cruelties that formed their own upbringing. Enough continuing the cycle. Enough dead children.

lindor.reynolds@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 15, 2009 B3

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

WFP Hockey

Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
Editor's Bulletin

Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
Winnipeg Jets

All things NHL on our Jets landing page
Twitter

Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
News Cafe

Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
Facebook Fanpage

Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events