Are obese children the victims of child abuse?

Question

There has been quite a lot on TV lately about obese children. A 15 year old girl who weighs 33 stone (omg!) was on breakfast TV the other day. She said that her dad died when she was 5 and then she began to comfort eat and quickly got very big. Her mum's excuse was that she didn't have much money so she mostly bought cheap bread and potatoes and filled her daughter up with chips. So basically, this woman had a 5 year old daughter who was obviously overweight and extremely unhealthy and she just kept on feeding her junk. Now her daughter is apparently the largest teenager in Britain and her mother just sits there and says that she doesn't know how it happened!!!! Now as far as I'm concerned this is child abuse - this poor kid faces a (short) lifetime of health problems and unhappiness because her mother simply could not be bothered to feed her properly as a child. It makes me so angry I could just scream. What's your opinion - is this abuse or not?

Answer 1

Certainly the parents are not doing their job if their children become obese.  It may be however that the parents do not know enough about nutrition to be able to provide their child with a well balanced diet.  In this case it is ignorance that is the problem.  A child should not have to suffer because of its parents' inability to provide a good diet.  Instead of accusing the parent of abuse he or she needs help and guidance so this is where the authorities should offer assistance.  If this is rejected, only then should stronger action be taken.

Answer 2

I'm not convinced that it is abuse as such.

I think her Mum, whilst obviously being wrong to feed her daughter up to such a size, never actually meant her any harm.  I do however, think that parents need to be made more responsible for their children's eating habits - I mean - if her daughter was severely underweight, people would want to know why.

I think parents need information on advice on how much food children should be eating - and of what kinds of food they should be eating - i.e. two portions of oily fish a week (and receipie ideas).

Also, I think shops should produce more special offers on healthy food so that families on a low income can afford to eat better.  It's very easy to say that obesity is abuse, but surely there is more to the issue than that?

Answer 3

In most cases it is abuse. We used to eat c**p because it was cheap but the market is much cheaper! Also there are cases where the problem is glandular - but they'll usually grow UP not OUT. Remember Robert Wadlow? He was so tall because of his pituitary gland. I personally have a thyroid thing going on so that contributed to my yo-yo-ing weight over the years (even after we started going to the market!).

Anyway, it's really awful. Starving a child is abuse so I think so is not providing them with a healthy diet. I'm sure the mother is pretty affected by the father's death too though.

Answer 4

Well somtimes its not there fault

Answer 5

Earlier this year my Law, Ethics and Human Rights class looked into a similar story. On the surface it does look like abuse and the first instinct is to take the child away from the 'abusive' mother and place the child with a family that will take care of the child.

There are several problems with this approach.

1st: We are assuming that there are no underlying medical issues causing the child to put on weight (In this case there are psychological issues that need to be resolved for the child to lessen her psychological need for food)

2nd: We assume that the mother knew better: The mother may hay been doing the best she knew how to and may have seen the provision of food for her daughter as an act of love.

3rd: We assume that the mother was capable of doing better: If the mother was stuck in a poverty cycle then providing lots of cheap food that was high GI may have been the only way to feed her daughter (in this case the 'abuse' is caused by a society that won't provide adequate resources to families for the raising of children.

Some people say it takes a community to raise a child. In many ways I agree with people who say this. As we can see from my above reasons, the community has failed to provide for the child medically, emotionally, educationally and financially. For those who still want to take the child away from her mother, then we add social abuse (and possible sexual abuse by foster families/ the foster family's friends/ the foster family's relatives) and add further trauma to her as she loses her mother and that since the child’s problem started because she lost her father, losing her mother would likely be devastating.

Answer 6

Very interesting question!

It's very difficult situation. I can agree that an eating disorder (if i can call it that) can be a learned behaviour. The parent could of used some control and just refused the daughter junk food, and just gave her the three meals a day. maybe call it will power.

i guess if you don't have much money, use portion control ect.

well sai have been typing this question i think i do agree it is child abuse!!!

i can only think of the poor girls life now all because the parent couldn't say no!

Answer 7

your ridiculous!

obesity isn't child abuse...go get a life.

Answer 8

I absolutely feel it is abuse or at least neglect. Either the parent cannot be bothered to simply keep healthy food in the house and cut out junk food and control portions, but I know a case where a mother, very obese herself, would tell her children to get a bag of chips or some ice cream from the freezer and eat while watching TV when she couldn't be bothered with them.

That I consider abuse, because she could just as easily have had fresh fruit and vegetables or granola bars or some other healthy snack around and it would have been no more effort on her part.

These girls were at least 50 pounds overweight and were already having problems with their knees that would require knee replacement one day.

Answer 9

I think it is abuse; you're putting your child at risk for some bad conditions that could kill them. I think it's funny how my uncle is a brain doctor yet he lets his kids eat whatever they want; they are both under the age of 18 and weigh 250 pounds- they also eat like c**p. Interesting question.

Answer 10

I think if a child is over fed by parents it is abuse

but if its the child itself sneaking to the sweet shop on the way home from school, or stealing extra food out of the fridge. Then how can it be?

Its very tricky

But in this case it is no excuse, She sud be eating baby food not adult food, Chips are no more expensive then other foods out ther.

x

Answer 11

as a mother of an obese teenager.I can honestly answer this question.Its a borderline Yes and no .For alot of children its medical  more so children with medical,mental health, and nueroligical disabilities because the medications given do cause weight gain.But then you have the other half were thta do use for like they use the TV as a babby sitter  for there children. BUT one never Knows.In My state It is taken very serously with child services. Its More Of a your child is obese Now is the parent the cause Or NOT.Because yes it can be a form Of child abuse if you have a obese child and you do not now Modify what you are and are not doing about the problem.But dont assume all Obese children are obese from neglectfull parents.There are 1/2 the time underline problems.

Answer 12

I bet Tanikaaa... has obese children. Its absolutely disgusting what some people feed there children.

Answer 13

I think it is totally the parents fault (except in cases of genuine medical reasons such as thyroid problems), but in some cases, the parents genuinely don't see the harm they're causing. Yes, this does make them particularly stupid and ignorant, but not necessarily child abusers.

Although in many cases, parents use food instead of love cos they simply can't be ars*d worrying about nutritious diets etc and think that feeding their kids up is enough to prove that they care. I hate the argument that they didn't have any money - fruit and veg is much cheaper than crisps and junk food. Not to mention that water costs pennies but soft drinks are expensive!

Answer 14

The mother didn't have much money, it is understandable.  

Answer 15

yes and no...

yes because the mother had the money and spent it on "junk food".

no because if they were strapped for cash and it was the only thing they could afford

yes because the mother should have gotten help

no becausethe child had a mind of her own and could make her own choices and could have sort help herself

thats just my opinion but i'd love to see what others think too

Answer 16

well its abuse and sign of neglect and low knowledge but who can we blame

do we blame the mother,or the government that didn't support her ???

or do we blame the child!

who is there to blame

or we give them money to fix their lives and she will be needing a rehab *the girl of course because this an eating disorder where she can eat healthy and learn how to deal with life without digging her face in food and she would need money to take the extra skin from her body!

Answer 17

Depends.

I suffer from a fast metabolism, and those who know me, know how hard it is for me to keep weight on. I often get accused of being Anorexic, and/or bulimic. I am not, I eat like a pig.

A friend of mine, suffers the opposite of me. She has a slow metabolism, and it's hard for her to keep weight off. She eats healthy and exercises, so it's no fault of hers.

I don't believe it's abuse. I believe sometimes it is bad parenting. As parents we are to show our kids how to eat properly, and have a good diet. WE also show them how to be active and exercise. They learn so much from us.

That child's Mother is in denial. It's far cheaper to buy fresh foods, in season, and make a meal that way. Eating processed foods isn't the best, but there really isn't education out there saying this.

Why didn't people address the eating problems earlier, like friends or family? I know my families love sticking their 5 cents my way - lol.

You say she is a teenager now, why isn't she trying to lose the weight? A bit of self initiative goes a long way. In my personal opinion, if she stopped complaining about it, and took to a treadmill, a lot of hassles would be solved.

Answer 18

To a degree I tend to agree with you but is it fair to label a parent a child abuser because they didnt know how else to love and support their child? It is a controversial question you ask but I tend to think that parents of obese children should be educated and possibly even monitered in what they allow their children to eat. I think there is no excuses for obesity especially in children but there are so many different circumstances in a diverse range of families and it is easy to judge. When I find myself judging others I try to remember that I dont know what is really going on in their lives and re-focus on my own.

Answer 19

I a sense it is abuse. Obesity happens when the parents neglect their responsibility to properly feed the child and/or their duty to make sure their children do some type of exercise.

Answer 20

To me it depends on the age of the child if its abuse or not a young child been fed anything and everything than yes of course its abuse, but older children can think for themselves therefore they are to blame no parent of an older child can force feed junk they are willing to eat it and they should know whats happening to their body

Answer 21

yes, definitely abuse. Situations like these need to be handled carefully, though. Many anerexic victims tend to hint that their mothers encouraged them to lose weight....

Answer 22

It certainly is abuse. A child is totally dependant on it's parents to provide food, shelter and guidance. A low income has nothing to do with being fat. In fact to weigh that much, the child would be permanently eating! I do not have much money, yet I feed my children very well with lots of veg and healthy foods.

I don't believe anyone could be so thick as to imagine that she could only feed her child on bread, chips and junk food. More likely a matter of that's what the child wanted and the mother couldn't be bothered to argue and insist that her child ate healthy foods.

For it to have gone of for 10 years is astonishing. Why did the school not call in the health visitors or social workers? They also have a duty of care and should have done something.

Just because abuse is unintentional does not make it any less abusive. I am sure that this woman loves her daughter in her own way but this is still a very serious case of child abuse through neglect. She has condemened her daughter to a lifetime of misery and life threatening operations. I am amazed that this poor girl is still alive.

Missy - Just because someone doesn't MEAN to do harm, does not make something less harmful. I am surprised that so many seem to think that this is ok. Can we just put this into perpective. This child was FIVE YEARS OLD when the problems started. That is an age where a parental figure has absolute control. She is only weak willed now because her mother didn't teach her to be anything but. At the child's most formative years, all she has learned is that she can eat what she wants. No discipline at all. My 12 year old would probably be as big if I just gave in as she did. I would imagine everyone's kids would be in the same position. We chose to discipline our kids and say "No". It's called parenting and those that can't or won't do it are neglecting their children. Otherwise known as abuse. May I remind everyone that the taxpayers will have to fork out for the treatment. Not to mention that parents who don't parent are breeding a generation of kids who have had no discipline enforced on them. It's not just about this girl's weight, it's about the  life lessons she had not been taught which can have far reaching consequences.

And to those who have given me a thumbs down, I bet you are the chips and processed food brigade who probably are too stupid to prepare a proper, healthy home-cooked meal. I am a full-time working, single parent, on a single income and I manage to feed my children properly.

Answer 23

I think you should make a more thorough investigation on the matter,rather than condemning people on the basis of watching a few television programmes.