TESTIMONY
Karine talks about the situation of a twelve year old boy for whom she is worried. He lives with his mother and no longer wants to see his father who abuses and rapes him. His mother does not want to seek help from the police and the justice system. Karine is alarmed by the child's condition and would like to help him. At the microphone of "La Libre antenne", on Europe 1, she talks with Olivier Delacroix on the case of this boy.
>> Listen to Karine's testimony in full here
"I went to Darty's on a Monday. There was a woman alone. On Wednesday I go back and I meet the same person. She was with her son whom she introduced to me. He is twelve years old, he is nice, funny. We go out of the store, we wait for the tram, we chat. I find them very friendly and the little twelve year old quite exciting. I really liked this kid. He is interesting, talkative, curious, protective with his mum.
My mom called me the next day. We got to know each other. She told me that she was alone in the country. She told me that she had been married and had had this little boy. She was a battered woman. She no longer lives with the father. The father was sentenced. She has neck and back problems. She can no longer work. She cannot do the housework.
" He tells in detail how his father hit him "I have the impression that the little one is angry, he wants to decide and she doesn't want to do anything. For example, the father did not pay support for a year. The boy says that you have to file a complaint and she says it is useless. She's a defeatist, but you can't blame her. She has been separated from him for seven years and is not recovered. When the little one was born, he was hit. Now he is twelve years old. He tells in detail how his father hits him in front of everyone, how he humiliates him.
He normally has to go to his father's house twice a month. He says that the father does not give him food for the day. If he cries, the father begins to bump him. He punches her. He also does it in front of everyone on the street and no one moves. The little one has knee and back pain. He's angry. He tells his father that he stole his youth from him, that he had no childhood, that he screwed up his life, that he will never forgive him. He is very mature and wants to protect his mother.
" He made several suicide attempts "He is afraid that his mother will go to prison and that he will live with his father. I have a little trouble understanding this story. The mother lost a lawsuit because she had not presented the child to the father. But the child does not want to go because he hits him. I even learned that he had been raped by the father. He does not want to go there and the judge does not want to hear him. The mother was fined.
She has not filed a complaint because she thinks the police will do nothing and it is useless. She doesn't want to pass for someone venal. The boy tells her that she is wrong and that she must file a complaint. He is angry at the attitude of his mother. He is angry with everyone. He tells himself that no one is going to help him. He does not sleep at night. He does not eat. Now he has more and more bad grades in school. He will certainly repeat. He made several suicide attempts.
>> Find Olivier Delacroix's Free Antenna in replay and podcast here
I saw a little boy protecting his mother, who is worried about her. It is completely off the plate. He is desesperate. He locks himself in his room. He doesn't want to talk to anyone anymore. I do not know how to do. They are both afraid. I even thought that I too should take care of this man. He harasses him by phone.
I called associations of battered women and children, no response. This is why the boy is disappointed and me too. Nobody is listening. He is angry and rebellious. He decided to write to the public prosecutor and that he did not need anyone. He is alone. He must be saved or he will be beaten or killed. "