An angry thought from a confused (future) social worker

I've just finished reading the case-notes for the murder due to neglect of Victoria Climbie (Anna Kouao) and couldn't help but be reminded of a book I read a few years ago called "The Boy Behind the Door."

A true story about a young boy (David Bisson) who is neglected, abused and imprisoned by his mother and numerous partners, it couldn't help but raise questions in me.

With reference to the absolute cruelty inflicted on these young children, how could a mother or guardian or any human being claim to love them yet so willingly display actions of hatred toward them? How could someone who claimed to love them treat them worse than we treat our pets? How can people inflict such pain on other human beings? It is beyond me how we have allowed our society to get to this point that children who don't know any better can have their innocence tarnished by someone who should be trying with all their might to prevent such a thing occurring.

From a [future] social worker's perspective, how can a professional who has had the necessary training, and who you would assume has enough common sense, allow such a travesty to continue? And how can the law protect the people that are inflicting these situations all over the world right now? Where is the line that a social worker must find in order to not do "too little too late" or "too much too soon?" And is it really the social workers' fault or a combination of a lack of knowledge of our legal mandates, faults of medical professionals, police and other authorities, and faults within the social welfare system itself?

Wherever the fault lies, all over the world there are children living in circumstances not unlike those of the two examples. Something needs to happen...and soon!