Baby P's Murderers - Born Evil or Turned Evil?

The newspapers are full of vitriol today about Baby P’s mother, step-father and brother....variously described as evil, vile, wicked, tramps. And, of course, their behaviour towards the tiny innocent little boy was precisely that and we all continue to be horrified at the torture they inflicted on him, at how he must have suffered, how it must have hurt, and how utterly lonely and bewildered the little chap must have felt for most of his life; never knowing love and tenderness; never being swept up in his parents’ arms for a cuddle; never feeling comfortable, well-fed, changed; never being able to trust those around him; often, if not always, probably in pain.
Most of us cannot begin to understand how other human beings can treat a baby like this. But surely herein lies a lesson for us all. When will we begin to realise that there are cycles of violence, that a child brought up in a violent home, without love and attention, lacking in affection, neglected for most of its life will go on to inflict the same kind of desperate neglect on their own children? Almost inevitably.
It’s about time we tried to break these cycles, to intervene earlier, to give young people from chaotic homes the chance to improve their lot, to offer them parenting classes long before they think of starting a family, to help them learn empathy and compassion and become emotionally intelligent.
Only people who are totally without empathy can inflict cruelty on others. And anyone who’s experienced gross neglect as a child is likely to be unable to empathise. All they know is pain, for them it’s normal which is why it doesn’t seem that difficult to inflict it on others, indeed it often seems OK because they believe this is how the world is.
It’s a tough nut to crack but we should surely be investing resources in catching young vulnerable people in their early teens, offering them chances to be cared for loved, respected and valued; helping them with their social skills, encouraging them to think of others, training them up to be good parents in their turn. If we don’t do something, more and more cases of child neglect will continue to stun us.