AFRUCA – Africans Unite Against Child Abuse welcomes with mixed feelings the report of the Inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié.

As an African child, Victoria was denied the support and protection she deserved by a wide range of government agencies. She was failed by the system and failed by bureaucracy.

The protection of children, all children, requires a colour-blind approach. We regret that Victoria did not benefit from this.

For this reason, while we welcome the recommendation to put children at the heart of social services, we are highly disappointed that the report did not propose any clear recommendations to help meet the needs and priorities of ethnic minority children to ensure they can receive that “colour-blind” and appropriate child protection service they deserve.

We are also disappointed that the report failed to make the link between physical chastisement and child abuse. Victoria’s torture at the hands of her aunty started with physical punishment. We feel that to help protect children from potential abusers, a law against physical chastisement is required.

For these reasons, we look forward to the forthcoming Green Paper on Children at Risk, and hope that the needs of children from the ethnic minorities and the issue of physical punishment will be more clearly highlighted.

Ends

Note to Editors

1. Africans Unite Against Child Abuse is a not-for-profit organisation concerned about cruelty against the African child. Our aim is to promote the welfare of African children worldwide.
2. Contact for further details:
Debbie Ariyo, Director, Africans Unite Against Child Abuse

Tel: +44(0)20 7704 2261
Fax: +44(0)20 7704 2266
Post: AFRUCA, Unit 4S Leroy House, 436 Essex Road, London N1 3QP United Kingdom.

E-mail: info@AFRUCA.org

 

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