INFANTICIDE

The anti child abuse lobby is quick to point out that we had prevention of cruelty to animal legislation in Australia long before we had legislation to protect children from the sexual and physical abuse of their parents.

One Brisbane child psychiatrist said recently that you can kill a child in Queensland and not get prosecuted. This statement was made in response to a series often children's deaths documented by doctor's at Brisbane's Mater Hospital. Only three of the abuse related deaths resulted in prosecutions.

It seems the only way for a parent to be found guilty of infanticide is to confess to the crime in the first place. According to the Brisbane psychiatrist, "The cards are stacked against our children."

Violence and sexual abuse involving children appears to occur predominantly in a certain subculture. In terms of the law; even where power is designed to be in favour of the child, the overwhelming balance of power is in favour of the adult. Infant life is cheap and parents have been let out of jail to look after children they previously abused. A Royal Commission is warranted into the judicial handling of child abuse.

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GENERAL HEALTH