10-year-old boy with disability died of starvation in Vinnytsia region. Social services saw the deterioration but did not intervene, - OPG. PHOTOS
In Vinnytsia region, a 10-year-old boy with disability died due to prolonged starvation and inaction on the part of adults who were responsible for caring for the child.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Office of the Prosecutor General.
The boy was found dead on 16 December in the house where he lived with his mother. A forensic pathological examination established that the cause of death was prolonged starvation: the child had not been fed for almost 60 days and had received only very small amounts of water. According to experts, the child could have been saved if he had received medical care and proper supervision.
Negligence of the special services
The boy had been disabled since birth and needed constant outside help. Social services and medical workers visited the family from August to December, noted the deterioration of the child's condition and inadequate living conditions, but did not decide to remove the child and provide treatment.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko stated that the child's death was due to the indifference of adults and is under his personal control.
Suspicions
The child's mother, a 39-year-old woman, has been detained. She has been notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 135 and Article 166 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; a preventive measure in the form of detention has been chosen. She had previously been brought to administrative responsibility for failure to fulfil her obligations regarding the upbringing of children.
In addition, a social service employee has been notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 137 of the Criminal Code, and a family doctor has been notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 140 and Part 3 of Article 362 of the Criminal Code. Data has been entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under Part 3 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding official negligence by social services and other authorised bodies.
Law enforcement agencies are currently investigating all the circumstances and identifying other individuals whose inaction led to serious consequences.
