OT Re: Abuse

[storm stanford]

No: HPFGUIDX 2606

<snip>
> He has had an advantage that many never had. He had 15 months of 
total love
> from his parents (I think this is a logical assumption) at the 
beginning of
> his life. Things may have gone downhill from there but I still do 
not think
> it was that serious.
> 
> Simon
<snip>

<snip>But the Dursleys have been beastly to him, and what is described is
the classic case of the battered child.

Susan McGee
former director Child Abuse and Neglect Council, Jackson, Michigan
current director, Domestic Violence Project, Ann Arbor, Michigan
<snip>

Go Susan! bring out the creds! LOL. <g>
 Simon I'm going to advance my theory about Harry and abuse again - that is that JKR shows a very evocative and horrible account emotional abuse and depravation - what she doesn't show as realistically is the effect on Harry. Even with his 15 months of love prior to landing (litrally) on the Dursley's door step Harry is a remarkabley well adjusted child, given his circs. This may be the reason for your perspective (which I guess I'm fairly forcefully suggesting is wrong - rude but no sense pretending otherwise)  Now I'm going to drag out my creds too - I'm a youth worker, currently working in an agency which oversees Child Protection practice (amougst other things). I've read far too many Court reports, seen far too many childern and young ppl to ever doubt the outcome the treatment meted out by the Dursleys. 

Now it's interesting to conisder that what Harry lives though is the reverse of many abused children - that is they are abused by thier natural parents and then live in foster care where they are (sometimes) safe and well cared for. Your argument that this "innoculates" him from some of the horribleness is possible 
But, in my experance, in NSW the current pattern is to restore children to thier n/parents as soon as is fesable (or before often) so that we are seeing more (IMO) children who have been brought up in foster care/kinship care where they have been reasonably well adjusted going to live with thier natural parents - the result 5 or 10 years later is not that dissimilar to if they have never been removed in the first place.

Harry is a fantsy outcome - for anyone who has lived though abuse - to come out strong and coping, smart and relativly undamaged. but it is not what it is really like.


storm


----- Original Message ----- 


  From: Susan McGee 
  To: HPforGrownups at egroups.com 
  Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2000 2:52 PM
  Subject: [HPforGrownups] Re: Abuse


  --- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Simon Branford" 
  <simon.branford at h...> wrote:
  > Dee wrote: "I DISAGREE!!!  (Sorry Simon!)"
  > 
  > I would have been more upset if it had not promoted a reaction. It 
  is quite
  > an important issue to the books.
  > 
  > Dee wrote: "On page 41, american, Ch 3, it stated how Vernon beat 
  Dusley
  > about the head"
  > 
  > Exact quote is: "...his father had hit him round the head for 
  holding them
  > up..."
  > It depends on what is meant by this. If it is a clip round the ear 
  hole then
  > there is nothing wrong with it. There is a large amount of 
  ambiguity in the
  > statement and I took it to be a more symbolic action against Dudley 
  rather
  > than any massive fists flying action. We are told of some of the 
  actions the
  > Dursley's take against Harry. If they did hit him then I am sure we 
  would
  > know about it.
  > 
  > Dee wrote: "Neglect is not only of items (food, clothes, etc), it's 
  also of
  > love.  As far as that, Harry is the one of most neglected ten year 
  olds!"
  > 
  I want to be respectful to your viewpoints, but must vehemently 
  disagree with them.

  Harry is an abused and neglected child. 
  Dumbledore's decision to leave him with the Dursleys may
  be eventually vindicated because Harry has turned out to be
  a terrific person. He does have genetics on his side. He does
  have prenatal and first 15 months love on his side.




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