A nine-year-old boy was left alone in a cold apartment in southwest France for two years while his mother lived with her boyfriend just three miles away. This tragic situation occurred in Nersac, near Angoulême.
Last week, the 39-year-old mother was sentenced to six months in prison for endangering her son. The boy’s father, who lived in another town, was not charged.
The boy endured periods without electricity, heat, or hot water between 2020 and 2022. He stayed warm using blankets and sleeping bags and washed in cold water. He survived by taking tomatoes from a nearby balcony and asking neighbors for food. Eventually, concerned neighbors called the authorities, and he was placed under protective custody.
Despite the neglect, no one noticed because the boy went to school, did his homework, kept his room clean, and got good grades. Barbara Couturier, the town’s mayor, explained that the boy seemed to act like everything was fine. She said, “I believe he surrounded himself with a shield of assurance that everything is OK.”
Neighbors initially felt something was wrong. When they voiced their concerns to the boy’s mother, she ignored them, insisting she was taking care of her son and asking them to stay out of her business. Since the boy seemed to manage on his own, the neglect wasn’t noticed.
During his two years alone, the boy survived by stealing tomatoes from a nearby balcony and asking neighbors for food. Eventually, the worried neighbors called the police, and the boy was placed in care.
A classmate said the boy mostly stayed home, rarely went out, and often ate and rode the bus alone. During the trial, mobile data showed that the mother was hardly ever at the apartment, disproving her claim that she lived with her son. The boy told his friends that he rode the bus and ate by himself. He didn’t always stay home and didn’t go out much, the classmate said.
The neighbors felt guilty for not noticing the problem sooner, blaming the isolation of modern life for allowing the neglect to continue. “In the past, if a mother mistreated her child, the family and community would step in and care for the child. It’s not the same anymore,” a local resident said.
There is no clear legal definition of child abandonment in ten EU countries, including France, which makes it difficult to address the issue both practically and academically.
Child abandonment is a major reason young children under three need institutional care. While only 4% of children in Western European institutions were abandoned, the rate was much higher in Central and Eastern Europe at 32%.
Romania, Hungary, and Latvia had the highest rates of abandoned children in institutional care, while the UK, Denmark, and Norway reported that child abandonment was rare.
EU countries are taking various steps to prevent child abandonment. These initiatives include:
- Social assistance
- Day-care centers
- Mother-baby units
- Family planning services
- Counseling for mothers and families
- Financial aid
- Programs for high-risk families and child identity
- Parent training centers
- Helplines for mothers in need
- Guidance on preventing child abandonment in maternity units
- Social workers in maternity units
- Training for hospital staff to identify and manage high-risk situations with positive counseling
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