KEY POINTS:
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Every night between 5 & 7pm a child screams and continues for 10
mins or so. You can hear the child is terrified and keeps saying
`Please don't mummy' again and again. The mother says `Don't be silly, be quiet'. It sounds like she
is in the bathroom. What should we do? It's been going on for months. I tried to report email for CYF but
that was useless. - posting to an internet chat site
When neighbours in Rotorua admitted they had seen 3-year-old murder
victim Nia Glassie being swung on a clothesline - but failed to do anything - it prompted a widespread debate about when people should intervene in others' lives.
One man posted a message on an internet chat site saying he heard a
terrified little girl screaming each night and wanted advice on what to
do.
The responses varied from implying he should stop being a nosy neighbour to telling him to call the police immediately.
The Herald has put the man's dilemma (see above) to three expert agencies - police, Child Youth and Family and the Office of Children's Commissioner - and asked what he should do and when people should
interfere.
Their overall advice is that it is better to call police or CYF and let them decide what's best than to sit back and do nothing and risk a
child's life.
CHILDREN'S COMMISSIONER: DR CINDY KIRO
"While there may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this scenario - it could be bathtime at this time of the evening - there is a danger
that failure to act could have serious consequences for the child. There is not a lot of information here and if someone rung my office we would ask questions to get a better understanding of what was going on.
"In the absence of further information I'm going to say this is an
instance when this member of the public needs to pick up the phone.
"If they don't feel they can talk directly to the mother of the child, they should call the police or Child, Youth and Family (0508 FAMILY).
"Family and neighbours are often afraid to speak out because they think there may be consequences ... but calls to CYF can be anonymous."
POLICE: NATIONAL FAMILY VIOLENCE CO-ORDINATOR, INSPECTOR GED BYERS
"It is possible that the screaming from the bathroom could be easily
explained by the parent; for instance, as being from a child who does not like her hair being washed and would require a discreet response initially.
"It's always best to call police if you think something's not right.
"You should feel comfortable and confident in contacting police, who
you may call on 111 if you think it's an emergency. We will take your concerns seriously."
CHILD, YOUTH AND FAMILY: GENERAL MANAGER OPERATIONS, LORRAINE WILLIAMS
"If you see something, ring us on 0508 Family (0508 326 459) - or the police. Children at risk need people in their community to get involved.
To pick up the phone and tell someone if they think something is wrong.
"Ringing us doesn't mean we are going to remove children, but that
call may be the difference between life and death for a child. It gives us the opportunity to work with families before things spiral
out of control."
