A seven year old boy never experienced the fear of having a monster hiding in his closet or under his bed. In the closet and under his bed may have been his only source of safety from the torment he had been forced to endure by the only people he knew to depend on for his very meager, forgotten existence.
Six years ago, the parents of a baby boy were incarcerated into the penal system in California. Not wanting their son to be juggled in what can be a nightmare in the foster care system, they handed custody over to the father’s sister, the baby’s aunt. Believing this was the right thing to do, there was no way of knowing what was to follow.
The aunt soon began a relationship with a woman who helped raise the little boy. Not long after the relationship became steady and live-in, the aunt passed away, leaving the child without a relative, only the aunt’s lover. Eventually the woman who had the child found a way to purchase an illegal birth certificate rather than find a home for the boy through proper channels.
The woman then met another, younger woman on-line. The younger woman lived a coast away in Florida and soon the boy was packed up and moved to a small county near the Atlantic coast. His nightmare not only continued, but increased as these two women found a sick pleasure in the torture of the small, innocent boy as they would hang him by his wrists against the wall, intentionally break his toes, beat him in the stomach, put their cigarettes out in his ears, and force him to drink shampoo, all the while calling him names and telling him how lazy he is. These two hateful beasts took all their inner anger out on a defenseless seven year old boy.
On November sixth of this year, the two heartless women wanted to view a timeshare in a county south of where they lived. They forced the small child to take some adult medication to make him sleep so they could leave him in their car while they toured the home. This amazingly brave boy groggily found his escape. He was able to exit the vehicle and find his way down the street where he was noticed by a passerby.
They saw an empty, battered, malnourished child staggering down the side of the road and called for help. The child was taken into custody where he told the authorities everything! He knew in his heart and soul he was safe and among those who were concerned for his well being. After years of torture, he found a speck of trust within himself and helped in the capture of the two horrible people who had nearly killed him.
Both women blamed the other for the heinous abuse. Both women are behind bars with charges of child abuse, child endangerment, attempted murder, and abduction, among others. The boy is safe and has been upgraded from critical condition. The community, although shocked beyond belief, has showered the boy with love and gifts so he will know the life he was living was not a normal existence.
Although this child was removed from the school system for fear of his beaten body getting noticed by school officials, no one took notice to his truancy. No one looked into the reason for his absence. Why is it that we are so quick to turn a blind eye to a child who so desperately needs us to reach out? The community came to his side after the fact, but where were they before his toes were broke? Where were they before his ears filled with burn marks? And where were they before his stomach was kicked to the point of severe internal injuries?
We must open our eyes and make an effort to be there for the children who desperately need us. The schools are so fixated on the tests and the money they can get for a high score that they forget what it is all about. They forget the true meaning of a school. We are supposed to be there for the children. We are supposed to educate them, keep them safe, and be there when they need us. They need to be able to trust us.
This boy is one child who has had to endure horrors beyond what any child should ever experience. How many more are out there whose silent screams for help are ignored? How many more are out there whose invisible tears are not seen? How many more are out there as we turn our heads and look the other way?
