A shocking case of child abandonment has come to light in France, where a mother left her 9-year-old son to live by himself in an unheated flat for two years, while she moved in with her partner in another town.
The boy, whose name has not been revealed, was discovered by the mayor of Nersac, a small town in the Charente region, after the mother asked for food vouchers from the social services. The mayor, Barbara Couturier, became suspicious when the mother chose processed food products instead of fresh ones, and learned from some residents that there was a child living alone in a nearby apartment.
Couturier alerted the local and national police, who found the boy living in appalling conditions, with no heating, hot water, or electricity. The only food he had was cake, canned goods, and tomatoes that he stole from a nearby cemetery. The boy had been living like this for two years, when his mother, identified as Alexandra, 39, left him to start a new life with her lover, who lived about five kilometers (3.1 miles) away.
Despite his ordeal, the boy managed to attend school regularly and get good grades. He also kept himself clean and tidy, and did not show any signs of distress or trauma. He told the police that his mother would visit him from time to time, but he did not know why she left him.
The mother was arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which 12 months were suspended. She will serve the remaining six months under home confinement. She claimed that she was depressed and overwhelmed by her situation, and that she loved her son. She also said that she had another son, aged two, who lived with her and her partner. The boy has been taken into the care of social services, and is reportedly doing well.
This case has raised questions about the role of the authorities and the community in preventing and detecting child abuse and neglect. How could a child be left alone for so long without anyone noticing or intervening? How could a mother abandon her son for her lover and get away with it? These are some of the questions that need to be answered, as the boy tries to rebuild his life after being betrayed by the person who should have protected him the most.