Case Study - Victoria Climbié Flashcards
Who was it who abused her?
Abused by her great aunt (Marie-Therese) who she was living with and her aunt’s boyfriend (Carl Manning)
What form did this abuse take?
The boyfriend beat her physically, she was burned with cigarettes, and scolded with boiling water, forced to eat dog food, and was locked up in a cold bathroom for periods of over 24 hours. The aunt did nothing to stop this and psychologically abused her, claiming she was possessed by the devil and needed to be exorcised
In what way are the authorities responsible for what happened? Why was this abuse allowed to continue?
The social workers and local council failed to protect her: they did not take any action when there were complaints about her care and when she was admitted to hospital after a beating. The hospital staff failed to report the injuries or record them accurately after the aunt claimed they were self-inflicted and the police failed to investigate
What happened as a result of this abuse?
Victoria sadly died as a result of the continued abuse she suffered. Her aunt and boyfriend were arrested and charged with murder. There was a major enquiry to find out exactly how the abuse was able to continue without being stopped: the social worker who was responsible for Victoria’s case and her supervisor were suspended by the council, and several other people involved in the case such as the police officers and doctors were criticised for failing to do enough to stop the abuse and protect her.
Ultimately it led to the Every Child Matters initiative which was designed to ensure that all children are protected from abuse and a new law called the Children Act 2004 being put in place to protect children
