A mother has been accused of beating her 4-year-old to death, and her husband has been accused of neglect.
This is not the first abuse case we have heard of, and I don't think it will be the last. Last year, a man and his girlfriend were convicted in a case that echoes this one.
The couple would torture the man's two daughters, which lead to the death of the eldest. The 8-year-old girl, named Wadeema, was buried in the desert and later found. Her father was convicted and then received the death sentence earlier this year, his sentence was then reduced to life in prison. The girlfriend is also serving a life sentence. Wadeema's case shocked everyone.
How could a father be cruel to his own daughter?
And now, with the little information we have, the case against this mother is even more shocking. When a woman is pregnant, she eagerly anticipates the baby's arrival. She ignores the discomfort and pain, and instead focuses of her growing belly. A pregnant woman falls in love with her fetus, even before the baby is formed and born.
From the first ultrasound appointment, feelings of fear are overtaken by the sound of the coming baby's heartbeat. The soon-to-be mother awaits the long nine months to hold her child, smell it, and feel it close to her. A baby that once was, and always will be, a part of her no matter how old it becomes.
Instead of raising a healthy happy child, this mother is accused of having taken her child to the grave. The reasons behind such criminal acts are unclear, and to me personally they never will be. I cannot seem to understand how a mother, or anyone for that matter, can hurt a child in that way. What could the child have done to deserve such treatment and a violent death? And I cannot stop thinking of the many children that could be suffering the same way.
Many people might not realize it, but being a parent is definitely stressful and hard. Some parents are not able to handle the pressure, and sometimes they choose to take it out on their harmless children. A child is innocent and pure, and is the reason for happiness in a parent's life. Yet, nowadays with the increase in abuse in families, that does not seem to be the case. Are children seen as a burden now? Are parents no longer able to control themselves or their children? If that is in fact what is happening, then we, as a society, are in trouble.
Parents-to-be must realize how hard it is to have children, and they must know how to be responsible toward them. If a couple is not ready to have children, then they should not rush because being responsible for another human being is never easy. Parents must be aware of the changes that will occur once a child is brought into the family. Yes, women and men have been doing it forever. Yet life used to be easier, as my parents always say. I would love to hear about the difficulties that parents face these days, because if there truly is an issue then it should be fixed and a solution must be found before it is too late.
After Wadeema's case shook the country, a proposed law protecting children from abuse quickly made its way to the Federal National Council, who are now reviewing the legislation, before it is passed onto the government and made into law. The law has been pending for the past months, but it needs to be a priority to the council. It is about time children all over the country feel safe. It is sad to think that a parent could harm a child in such a brutal way, but enforcing this law would ensure parents know not to cross the line with their own children.
We, as a society, and as future mothers and fathers, owe it to the coming generation to be more aware and more responsible. In the end, it is our children who will one day grow up to develop our country. They will also one day have their own families that they will be responsible for. Let us stop the cycle, and instead provide a healthy environment for our young so they become happy, confident, and able to lead in life.
