Parents are supposed to protect their children. So what happens when they’re the ones who are likely causing their child harm? A 17-year-old girl in Australia became severely malnourished over time, and her parents continuously denied that anything was wrong with her.
Now, they’re facing a trial because they allegedly continued to deny that their daughter was in grave danger. The trial is still ongoing, but it will be interesting to see the outcome.
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The story is incredibly disturbing.
The parents, who remain anonymous, are currently on trial in the Perth District Court, accused of causing their 17-year-old daughter to suffer. The girl’s dance teacher repeatedly brought up concerns about her weight, fearing that she was malnourished. The teacher initially called the authorities in 2020.
A year later, the girl was taken to the hospital because she weighed just 59 pounds.
The parents were aware of their daughter's condition.
The teacher told the court that she first brought her concerns to the girl’s parents in 2019, telling them that they should take her to a doctor for a checkup.
“We didn’t think she’d be able to cope with the amount of jumps,” the teacher said, commenting on the girl’s “wafer thin arms.”
They didn't seem to think anything was wrong with their daughter.
Child protective services requested independent medical assessments for the girl, but her parents refused. They refused more than once.
When told that their daughter was at risk of cardiac arrest, the father dismissed it as “crazy.” Additionally, doctors suggested the girl go on a feeding tube, which the parents refused. After that, authorities removed the girl from her parents’ care.
“[The girl’s father] did not believe she was at risk of cardiac complications,” Dr Alice Johnson told the court, according to Express U.S.
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In fact, the parents claimed they were being harassed.
ABC Australia reported that the father reached out to the dance teacher “really upset that we kept harassing” the girl’s mother about her weight. He also claimed that his daughter was “quite stressed.”
“They just kept brushing us off,” the teacher said. She told the court that the parents believed that the she and the director of the dance studio were “over-worrying and being over-concerned.” The father also thought the teacher discriminated against his daughter because she was vegan.
Doctors made some shocking discoveries.
When the girl finally did undergo a medical assessment in 2021, doctors discovered that she was suffering from malnutrition and was dangerously underweight. They also determined that based on her height and weight, she measured much younger. She also had tastes similar to a younger girl, regarding food. However, she didn’t have an eating disorder.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
