Behind close doors

Bumps and bruises are common for active children as their time is mostly spent on playing and getting dirty. Because of the rough and tumble nature of the games children play (especially the much younger ones), we tend not to make a big fuss for it is but normal.

Not this time.

A teacher noticed some bruises on one of her pupils. She did not think there was anything wrong at first until it become more frequent and severe. Hesitantly, she approached the child to ask what happened. As expected, she was told that it was from an accident - a nasty fall.

The teacher was still suspicious so she started monitoring the child more closely to see if there is cause for alarm. One morning, her instinct was proven right - that there was more to it than normal bumps and bruises.

The child came to class clearly enduring something on her right side. She was in excruciating pain as she would not budge an inch from her seat. On closer look, the teacher was shocked to see a swollen shoulder. Fearing the worst, she called the Social Services for help and brought the the child to the hospital for an x-ray.

The child had a fractured shoulder.

For the Social Services, this only pointed to one thing - a case of child abuse. Their interview with the child revealed that her father had been hurting her for some time. Worse, she was not the lone victim - a younger brother from another class is suffering the same fate.

This is real life, not a plot from your afternoon soaps. What is more disappointing is that it involved an OFW migrant family.

I could not imagine what will drive a father to hurt his own children. Maybe it was the frustration that after years of supporting his family, he ended up the one being supported - bound to the home and doing the traditional role of a wife.

Maybe it is his failure to connect with his children after being away for a long time being an OFW in a previous lifetime.

Maybe it was the depression of realising that the life you left may have been better than what you are facing now.

Whatever the reasons why it happened, the undeniable fact remains that it happened. Sadly, the impact of such act is indiscriminate, punishing even the helpless victims.

The parents suffers the break up of the family and humiliation of being deported. The children remain in the custody of the Social Services to protect them from further abuse, in the verge of being lost within the Irish foster care system.

This is one OFW's dream turning to a hellish nightmare with no chance of waking up.