Child abuse, a cycle?
Whittaker,M. (31/8/2013). Duty of Care, The Sydney Morning
Herald, Good Weekend. P.10-16.
This article is a journalistic piece on the well known
tragic death of Kiesha Abrahams. The article focuses on Kiesha’s family, mainly
her mother Kristi Abrahams and highlights her childhood and discusses if the
childcare authorities let Kiesha down. The author describes the case as
intergenerational neglect, a cycle of violence and abuse. Kristi was part of
the welfare subculture and this is also an example of an intergenerational
cycle. Kristi lived in housing commission and off dole money in a low SES area
of Sydney. Her father had problems with the law and alcohol abuse and would
often physically abuse Kristi and her mother. Kristi did not have much success
in schooling as she was constantly moving around with her mother to get away
from her father ultimately one day finding her mother covered in blood,
deceased. Kristi believed her father to be responsible and was rejected by him
as a carer, leaving her to totally denounce her Aboriginal culture. A psychologist
announced she had an IQ of sixty six, bordering on intellectual disability and
because of her past with her father, it recommended she not be placed in
Aboriginal foster care. Kristi was put in an Aboriginal group home foster and
was seen as she matured to be very childlike still she met and started dating
Chris Weippeart when she moved into her own housing commission flat where she
fell pregnant with her first child Ayden. Ayden was once removed by DOCS but
was given back to Kristi with whom he died (a suspected SIDS death). Kristi was
known to self harm, use drugs and was convicted of assult; however she fell
pregnant with Kiesha and appeared to be a doting mother when the little girl
was born. Kiesha was removed by DOCS after an incident where her mother had
violently bitten her but was again returned. Kristi attended anger management classes
but teachers noticed bruises and injuries on Kiesha who was hardly at school
(possibly to hide bruising); truant officers would often come to investigate
but find the doors locked.
Kiesha met a tragic end as a result of an intergenerational
neglect often seen in low SES subcultures (but not exclusively!) Social justice
was not met in this situation. (Gewirtz, 1998)
I decided to use this article as Kristi Abrahams background is unfortunately not uncommon, teachers all around Australia will have students with this sort of home life in their class. I am left with a few questions, would Kristi’s father have been violent if his culture had not been marginalised and exploited for centuries by white oppressors? If he had not been violent would Kristi still have become violent? If Kiesha was from a higher SES family would DOCS have taken signs of abuse more seriously? Would Kiesha still be alive today?
I decided to use this article as Kristi Abrahams background is unfortunately not uncommon, teachers all around Australia will have students with this sort of home life in their class. I am left with a few questions, would Kristi’s father have been violent if his culture had not been marginalised and exploited for centuries by white oppressors? If he had not been violent would Kristi still have become violent? If Kiesha was from a higher SES family would DOCS have taken signs of abuse more seriously? Would Kiesha still be alive today?
Gewirtz, S.
(1998). Conceptualizing social justice in education: Mapping the territory. Journal
of Education Policy, 13(4), 469-484.
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