Thousands of children in Scotland feel 'isolated'

Teenia Harmon
12-03-09
10:25
“Action for Children Scotland said too many young people were left isolated and troubled.” The campaign states that families need to change their attitudes towards children and focus on the needs of neglected children. They went on to tell some startling figures on children. Around 15,000 children are taken into care stands (child care), which is the highest sum in a quarter of a century. It also said that up to 60,000 children live in families that abuse drugs, and around the same number live in families where alcohol is misused. It also told that a staggering one in nine children will run away from home, and half of those do so to escape abuse or neglect. Family problems leave children “isolated, troubled, and alone.” Louise Warde Hunter says that the children need to be reached to “break the cycle of neglect that can persist across generations.” To do so they need to strengthen “families to help themselves.”
I think this is a very sad story; the numbers of neglected children are heartbreaking. What makes it worse is that this is not a story unique to Scotland. Children around the world are neglected for many different reasons- because of their gender, because they have special needs, any number of things. I agree that they need to change things because if they do not the children will grow up to be like their parents and the cycle will continue, but I am not sure how they would go about it. I think there needs to be a way for families to participate in things together other than just watching T.V. and the same thing goes for America and other countries as well. I also think that they need to provide good alternatives to children running away. Give them a safe place to go when they need to get away, a place with responsible adults who will keep them safe and make sure they get home safe.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8389061.stm