Austria - Mum locked up girls for 7 yrs

[Ang50]

Mom was a lawyer, dad was a judge. I can believe he tried to use the court system to get visitation at least - I wonder if he was accused of sex assault on them in order to keep him away.

Just shocking.

 

[txsvicki]

Austria has very high standards in both physical and mental healthcare, as do all Western-European countries. The girls have been in care for well over a year now (since October 2005) and, according to all the articles I have read about this case so far, are continously receiving extensive therapy. I do not think we need to worry about them just sticking these girls in the looney bin.

That's good to hear. The sing song language and standing on one leg sure doesn't go with the school board story of the girls seeming to be okay. Humans are such survivors of all sorts of things and I'm hoping the older girl will recover and be brought out of the state that she is in. Maybe they would be better off with a family.

 

[reb]

again this reminds me of the story of 'genie' in california, (1970's). it was so incredibly tragic that after being found in a horrible state-- forced to sit- AND SLEEP!! for days & nights on end strapped to a potty chair in a back room, basically ignored by her family-- she started to thrive and was so curious and eager to learn about the outside world.. but then things started to fall apart, she was not adopted into a loving, stable home (why--? i still don't really understand!)-- and eventually ended up back in that house of horrors with her screwball mother, after her dad committed suicide.. and then was bounced around a bit more ending up in a state mental home and now she is either in a nursing home or some other state-run home (i forget which). so sad,, she could have been an amazing example of recovery-- but even though the psychologists were very interested in studying her case, it seems that no one wanted to adopt her, or somehow they couldn't,, i'm still not clear,, but the fact is that she regressed after her initial progress, never reaching her full potential. although, i can't say how she is today, since i don't know her.. (for all we know she could be quite content?) but the show about her made it seem like she wasn't doing that great.

what's interesting though is how scientists now have actual brain-scan images that show how the physical size and mass of the brain is stunted though extreme neglect-- those receptors that depend on sensory stimulation to grow and develop & if they're neglected, they literally shrivel up and die. (and apparently they now have proof that abuse also stunts a child's growing brain). so in these extreme cases, it would take a very stable, loving and well-experienced person or family for the child to bond with, to achieve a reasonable degree of healing. i know the brain is capable of amazing things when it comes to regenerating itself.. but it does seem that there are certain windows of opportunity that when closed, are mostly closed forever.

 

[KatK]

Just a correction. The girls were taken away from their mother in 2005. If the oldest is *now* 21 in 2007, that puts her at 12 when her captivity began. Seven years with only your younger siblings to talk to? I can see developing your own language, for safety if nothing else. So "mom" can't know what you are saying.

 

[JanetElaine]

That's very interesting info about the brain, reb. And it certainly explains (to me) why they have doubts about a full recovery. I can really only sit here and shake my head at this case again.... so sad.

 

[wildTrose]

thought I'd bump since many hadnt heard of these three young girls held captive by their mother.