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Johanna Rozenblum (clinical psychologist)
According to chilling information from the BBC, a mother was recently convicted for keeping her baby from birth to 3 years old in a drawer in her bedroom. What disorder hides this act of cruelty and how can the child recover from such trauma? Johanna Rozenblum, clinical psychologist, gives her opinion.
The story is chilling and seems unlikely. And yet. In England, a mother has just been sentenced to 7 and a half years in prison for extreme negligence. His crime? Having locked her baby for about three years, in a drawer under her bed.
She never knew the light of day
According to investigators, the little girl thus sequestered did not “never knew daylight or fresh air.” To make matters worse, no one cared because no one – not even within the family home – knew of its existence. The drama ended when the mother’s companion discovered the child “by chance”, challenged by crying.
“The mother deprived this little girl of all love, affection, attention, social interaction, proper diet and necessary medical care”reported the judge during the judgment taking place at the Chester court.
The child found was in fact in a skeletal state, his development being that of a 7-month-old baby. In addition to severe malnutrition, the girl also suffered from several health problems.
Denial on the part of this mother, or cruelty?
How to conceive of such an act? Is this a denial of pregnancy as with certain infanticides at birth? By for Johanna Rozenblum, clinical psychologist. “This mother most certainly suffers from psychiatric pathology or at least a severe personality disorder. she analyzes. On the other hand, she admitted all the facts, without any emotion during her interrogations and her own judgment.
“In this case, there is no denial. She was also convicted, so there is no alteration of discernment either.”
To the investigators, the mother had simply explained that in her eyes this child “wasn’t part of the family.”
A long road ahead for the little girl
“This sordid story reminds us that a child dies every 5 days from the beatings or mistreatment of their parents, and that the main violence against children takes place behind closed doors within the family,” continues Johanna Rozenblum. Concerning the little girl, out of hell, the path looks complicated. “The little girl is slowly coming back to life”, detailed the judge. Now placed in foster care, the little girl has to regain her strength and suffers from a cleft palate, rashes, deformities and many other health problems.
But it is undoubtedly the psychological after-effects which will take the longest to heal, if that is possible.
“There will unfortunately be no doubt about the after-effects in this story. Such traumatic violence will have consequences on the child’s psyche, motor and social development. She will have to begin a long process of reconstruction associated with medical care linked to his conditions of detention”, points out the expert.
Far from this abusive mother, let’s hope that this child can finally flourish.