I often hear my downstairs neighbor yelling obscenities at her children. One can't be more than 3 years old and the other is on life support. I have no idea if she is physically hurting her children and no evidence. Is this still considered abuse/neglect? Is there anything I can do? Should I do something at all?
2007-10-19 07:50:55 · 20 answers · asked by Steph Z 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
there may be laws in your state against obscenity. If you can hear the swearing, then technically speking that person is violating an obscenity law. Also, since again you can hear the swearing, the person swearing is causing a disturbance, which is again a cause for reposting it to the police.
My advice as a nonlawyer: if you are worried about the kids, next time you hear screaming or swearing, call the police and list it as a disturbance, then the police can investigate. You can also call child protection if you seriously think there is an issue of abuse.
2007-10-19 08:05:49 · answer #1 · answered by brad p 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Buy the mother a bouquet of flowers, hand them to her and sweetly tell her that you hope it brightens her day since she seems to be having a difficult time. She's probably under a lot of pressure. Having said all that, if you have good reason to believe that she is harming the children, then by all means contact the authorities. By the way, do you know how the child happens to be on life support? Do you suspect child abuse? If so, then don't hesitate to get help for the other children.
2007-10-19 15:48:16 · answer #2 · answered by bombastic 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yelling obscenities at children (or anyone else, for that matter) is verbal abuse. Verbal and emotional abuse damage children, even though there are no physical scars. It sounds like this woman is under a lot of stress and isn't handling it well. I'd call CPS if I were you; those children are helpless and need an adult to be their advocate. Get involved!!!
2007-10-19 15:01:10 · answer #3 · answered by Carol M 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'd give social services a call and report the activity. If something happened to those kids and you didn't take the time to report what was going on, you'd feel terrible. I think it is abuse to yell obscenities at your kids. At the least, there can be a visit from someone who could offer the mother help if she needs it. They do not have to reveal who made the call.
2007-10-19 14:56:21 · answer #4 · answered by Daphne 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Report it. Nobody should yell obscenities at a small child when they should be teaching them instead. Obviously, this caretaker (can't refer to them as parent) has a problem coping. Depending on the state emotional abuse goes unrecognized but they may put a scare into the the abuser.
2007-10-19 14:56:13 · answer #5 · answered by skycat 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no way to know. But if you suspect an abuse, you should report it. You really don't want to wait until the child is hurt either physically or emotionally.
The best thing you can do is to call your local sheriff's NON-EMERGENCY number and tell them what you know. Exactly who you should call is different in different states.
If you hear any other noise that you suspect the child is in danger, you can go-right ahead and call 911. That is considered an emergency.
I do not suggest you have a personal conversation with her. There is absolutely nothing to gain from it. Certainly, she is not going to tell you the truth or the whole story.
2007-10-19 14:56:02 · answer #6 · answered by tkquestion 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You can call the local police department or social services, they can do a welfare check and find out if there is some abuse going on. It is something that you should report, verbal abuse toward a child is abuse if it is bad enough that people around them are concerned. It is definatly something to make a report of.
2007-10-19 15:00:07 · answer #7 · answered by Flygirl 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If it is the yelling that is bothering you, maybe you should just confront her about it. I'm sure the yelling is not only annoying to just her children. If you think the children are in serious trouble - she's hurting them, leaving them alone for days, not feeding them, maybe you should talk to the police about it. They probably have a better understanding of how sever her actions are and contacts. Another source would be a school counciler or doctor. Again, they probably have sources too. But remember, if you do this, you will make an enemy of your neighbor. If she is emotionally crazy among her kids, she will probably be the same towards someone who tried to take them away from her.
2007-10-19 14:54:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Emotional abuse is still abuse and against the law. You need to social services. It may be that this mom is extremely stressed out and needs help. THey will help her if they can. Otherwise, they will do what they can to make the situation better for the children.
2007-10-19 15:00:39 · answer #9 · answered by Allison P 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, this is abuse. It is emotional abuse, and DHS knows how to deal with it. Call your local Department of Health Services, and they can make the decision of whether or not to send someone out. This is done anonymously and your neighbor won't find out you made the call.
2007-10-19 15:02:47 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋