This is the story of Lisa; a child born into circumstances that no child could ever deserve, with a family that none should ever have. It’s a fictional story, but one inspired by real events.
Every day, tens of thousands of children are abused in their own homes – this is something that is completely unacceptable. This is not just a story about Lisa; it also concerns her brother. To put it bluntly, it concerns every single child, the world over, who suffers in silence.
Lisa was born in a London suburb in 2004.
There was already a boy in the family, Lisa’s older brother, John, who was just one-year-old when Lisa arrived.
It wasn’t long before Lisa and John found themselves with a foster-family, social workers having deemed that their natural parents weren’t able to give their children the care they needed.
But, after just a few years in their new family, it transpired that Lisa had been subjected to sexual abuse at the hands of her foster father.
As a result, John and Lisa were moved back to live with their biological parents once again.
However, her natural mother didn’t want to take care of Lisa; she saw her more as a problem. Despite the fact that Lisa was just six-years-old, her mother believed her behaviour was inappropriate and sexual. As a result, she chose to discipline her, physically, as opposed to showing her love and care.
John was also regularly beaten, but it was Lisa who was given the harshest treatment.
As the years passed, things continued to get worse. It became so bad that Lisa wasn’t able to take part in school gymnastics anymore. She didn’t dare to change clothes in front of her classmates, lest they see the multitude of scars and bruises adorning her malnourished body.
The family’s social worker sometimes rang, but, since the mother told her that the family was thriving, no home visits were made. The abuse continued, and the steep slope wound to ever harsher climes.
It escalated to the point where Lisa was being kicked and punched. Worse; sometimes instruments were used. Steel pipes, a hammer … her father even once picked up a machete. On top of the physical punishment, Lisa’s mother used her body as a canvas for abusive words.
She would belittle Lisa with terms like ‘whore’, ‘slut, ‘incest’ and ‘freak.’
Lisa was weak, and she started to become dangerously malnourished. Her brother would often try to sneak her food, but when he was caught doing so he would be beaten as well. Even so, the violence towards him wasn’t as severe as that dealt to Lisa every day.
On one occasion, Lisa’s mum hit her so hard that she fractured several bones in her hand.
After the mother was hospitalised with her own injuries, the social services began to grow suspicious.
During a visit, made two weeks after that incident, the services were presented with the couples’ son. He was well dressed, his hair combed. Regardless, the workers knew something was awry. When they asked him where his younger sister was, he merely shook his head.
After a short while, the care-workers left the house. They returned soon after; this time, they had the police with them.
They conducted a search of the decrepit and dirty house. It wasn’t until they found a closet, though, and opened the doors to take a look inside, that they found something none of them could ever possibly ever forget.
Inside the closet, lying in a cesspit of faeces and urine, was Lisa. Her body was in such a bad state that she could hardly rise to her feet.
The young girl was taken to hospital immediately. There, several doctors did their best to keep her alive. But Lisa’s body had given up.
Whilst at the hospital she remained quiet. She passed away after three days, at the tender age of nine.
Exactly what Lisa died of remains a mystery. There are many who believe it was simply the lack of love, nurture and tenderness. She had no reason to stay alive, and so let herself slip away.
Afterwards, the police made another search of the house in a bid to find evidence to use against her parents. It was then that they found a crumpled note under her pillow.
The note read:
“What have I done wrong? All I ever wished was for my mom and dad to love me. Just as the parents of my classmates loved them. I don’t know why I never died. I always tried to be polite, and do things just like my mother asked me. But I was always a disappointment, and those like me don’t deserve to live.”
Lisa’s parents both received lengthy sentences. John has since been moved to a new family, one that loves him and is prepared to give him everything a child should have.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Lisa. Lisa was failed time and time again. By her family, by social services, by her school and by her foster family.
All children deserve to be loved. Despite this, children are abused worldwide; every second, every minute, every hour of every day.
A child has the right to live in a home free of violence. They need love, care and attention – something as simple as a hug can be worth more than you could imagine.
Please share this story with all your friends on Facebook. Let’s spread the word in the hope of making a difference.
*** The girl in the photo above has no connection in any way with the event discussed in this article.
