When those in charge of the vulnerable fail in their duty of care – in a job where they are paid to care and do the right things….
Already after the case of the little three year old girl left on the bus outside a childcare centre in Queensland recently there is a petition calling for cameras for safety on buses so that parents may know their children are safe on buses used to transport their children to childcare.
Parents cannot not let this go on knowing that children are even dying from being left on bus transport to childcare centres such as Meeky the little boy, who died two years ago, another three year old and the recent little girl Nevaah, who was found unconscious after being left outside the centre in a bus in the heat for six hours and yet she had been the only child to pick up that day and was not taken into the centre. What are these people thinking who left her in the bus? - she was the only child on there and they didn’t even take her inside to the centre!
This little girl was in critical condition in hospital but has survived and is recovering. She was three years old. So was the other little boy at another childcare centre, who actually died and the bus driver was sentenced to 6 years prison. Meanwhile the manager of that childcare centre is now facing further charges, after it was alleged, that she was told to take the little boy into the centre by the bus driver - he has now claimed.
Three year olds appear not to be able to defend themselves or stand up and demand their rights such as to say "get me off the bus". "Where are you going? don’t leave me!" "Take me into the centre!" They believe the adult is going to take them into the centre they trust them, they will wait even quietly to be taken by the hand, and get off the bus. They keep waiting and its not happening. Their life depends on those in charge of them, entrusted and paid for by their parents to bring them safely to the childcare centre. The parents believe they will be looked after on the bus. They were wrong and mistaken in these cases.
Three year olds? They are vulnerable they cannot think for themselves and they were probably crying out to be taken off the buses and yet they were ignored one has died the other survived in two different cases. In effect three year olds have no voice for their rights and now the courts must consider the sentencing and charges to be laid. Parents must be the three year olds voice.
Similarly those children and adults with disabilities who literally can be non verbal have no voice and cannot stand up for themselves – we the parents must fight for them.
If we do not fight for our vulnerable disability children’s rights they will be harmed one day and live a life believing people are allowed to hurt and exploit them and we will be harmed and destroyed by what happens.
We cannot be passive we are not powerless we must fight no matter what – to change the system or we and our disability children will be destroyed by an uncaring system and world.
Parents must stand up no matter how much your heart is breaking from pain and fear or you think it is no use – we must stand and fight because while we do the light and hope will shine for our children.
The recent investigation of the Yorta Yorta woman who died in prison revealed that the guard did not listen to her cries for help (Nine News 13 May 2022). The woman guard turned a deaf ear to the suffering prisoner’s cries for help who needed medical attention. She told her to shut up. What kind of society is this that does not listen to the cries for help by others? The guard had the power to get a doctor or send this woman to hospital but no she ignored her and Veronica died. The guard admits that she did not give proper duty of care.
When we have the power to do something to help someone else we should do it. If we ignore the cries of other it will come back on us one day and we will be ignored in our hour of need, because we had the power to help and did not do the right thing. Similarly those who have duty of care are expected to care. Firstly parents of disability or any child, secondly those they entrust and pay to care for their child or disability person have a duty of care. This duty of care needs to be upheld. The only trouble is that those who are paid to have duty of care do not care as much as a mother or parent cares, but if they look after someone they are accountable and culpable for what happens to that vulnerable one. The Yorta Yorta woman has died. The guard did not listen. The little girl n the bus nearly died as the people caring for her ignored that she even existed in the bus. I have known of disability children left behind on trains because slack workers did not even check on them and they have end up 25 kims away before the mother went looking after she did not come home.
The cries of the vulnerable must not be ignored. It is a blight on our society when we will not show compassion to others. We need the cameras for our children’s protection who are vulnerable and with disability wherever they go. Workers just do not care enough and need proper training and we need a better system.
Recently a woman I know, through James website, a Grandmother of two autistic boys aged five and six years old who were non verbal , a caring Grandmother not so old, only in her fifties, has died of cancer. This has happened suddenly, after messaging me and encouraging me for the last year to write and lobby for cameras , and often sending articles for me to share and linking me with Cameras Protect Children in America. Her name was Pam Spinks, and she told me she was afraid for her two grandsons who were starting school that they would assaulted one day like my son was at a day program and respite house. I tried to contact her a few weeks ago and her daughter answered me online and asked who I was, and told me she has died. Shocked and surprised, I thought how much she wanted for her grandsons to have camera protection and she has died without seeing it. I felt so sorry for her and her daughter and grandsons she loved them so much. I am sure the boys would be missing their Grandmother, of course.
I know one thing, that I don’t want to leave this world without protection for my son and others like him who are vulnerable and so unprotected – parents want to know their children are safe – we fear for their futures when they are so vulnerable especially non verbal. We cannot have this assurance of protection and safety, unless we have the cameras at the least, and change our system and justice needs to come in properly because right now we get no health and safety applied to our children’s care in disabilities and no proper protection from harm for them or justice when harm does occur. WE need to fight for this change to come and for the cctv cameras to be made mandatory. WE cannot just let wrong keep occurring we must fight always for our dear children and not let their cries be ignored, cries for help, cries for protection and cries for justice.
All the best
Anndrea X
Sign my petition: change.org/disabilitycameras

#disabilitylivesmatteroz