Helpless victims

After the femicides, now the children?

Tragic events in Europe: A missing child (1) is said to have been dumped dead on a landfill site, while another (4) is attacked and seriously injured by a stranger with a knife in a German supermarket. These shocking incidents raise questions: Why are children being killed?

Unfortunately, children are victims of violence time and again, often or even mostly at the hands of their own parents, as forensic psychiatrist Sigrun Roßmanith knows. This can be observed particularly in cases of separation and custody disputes.

However, when strangers attack or even kill children - such as on Wednesday afternoon in Germany or last week in Serbia - it must always be checked whether a mental illness plays a role. "Sometimes people react explosively to loud children and can resort to extreme measures," says the expert, citing one example. However, such tragic events often have a long history.

Covering the tracks
In the most recent cases, the alleged perpetrators were most likely strangers. However, it is also known that children who are victims of abuse are subsequently killed in order to cover up the deeds. The exact motives and backgrounds often remain in the dark. As in the cases from Germany and Serbia, where the details are still completely unclear.

The question arises as to whether we need to protect our children better. Fortunately, such incidents are not an everyday occurrence; global reporting has only made society more aware of them, says Roßmanith, because: "This (note: violence against children) has always existed".

Fear of the police
The specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapeutic medicine also refers to little Danka, who has been reported missing since last week, in an interview with the "Krone" newspaper. It was announced on Thursday that Danka was dead. The little girl is said to have been run over by two men and then strangled: "If the girl was actually strangled before being disposed of at the landfill site, that would be a cover-up. They don't want to have anything to do with the previous accident and are trying to cover their tracks."

The homicide as a result of the car accident, the disposal of the body as a practical solution, out of fear of the police, as Roßmanith says.