Note: Laura Castle is a children’s rights advocate who has written on child abuse matters for POTB. Here are her thoughts on the Caylee Anthony affair.
SK
by Laura Castle
Like so many others, I sat in front of the TV in stunned horror as Casey Anthony was declared Not Guilty of Aggravated Child Abuse.The first degree murder acquittal was not such a shock as there was a lack of the rock hard evidence needed to convict her on that charge .But child abuse? Let’s see now- she failed to report her daughter, Caylee missing as she sat in bars, participated in a hot body contest, got a tattoo, and partied. Last time I checked, Neglect was considered one of the four categories of child abuse.
However, I have since learned that no statute or federal law currently exists that requires a parent to report a missing child. Most parents who experience the horror of a missing child do not need a law saying they must report that their child is missing – their love and concern for the child’s safety is the only impetus they need for that call to the police that can make the difference in that child being found in time. But, the Casey Anthony case opens up the floodgates for other parents who lack the necessary sense of responsibility for parenting to follow her example. One of the purposes of our legal system is to teach others the penalties for inappropriate behavior. What a terrible lesson this case teaches! Too busy having fun to report your child missing? No problem!
Steps are being taken to change this injustice. Representative Paul Wesselhoft R- Oklahoma plans to introduce Caylee’s Law which will require parents to notify authorities of a missing child within 48 hours for a child under 12. Wesselhoft believes this change needs to be made at the state level rather than federal, as states investigate and prosecute most cases of child abuse and neglect. Representative Bill Hager R-Florida is drafting a similar law.
Oklahoman Michelle Crowder has launched a petition to make it a Federal Crime for parents to fail to notify police within 24 hours of a child’s disappearance. It is the fastest growing petition ever found on change.org with a total of nearly 475,000 signatures. Signing this petition is a message to lawmakers that we need some kind of law, either federal or state, to make it a crime to not report a child missing during the crucial time period in which she or he is most likely to be found alive. I urge all readers of POTB to support Caylee’s Law. Thank you!
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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