Family of slain 5-year-old girl call for child welfare reform: ‘This was preventable’
Family of slain 5-year-old girl call for child welfare reform: 'This was preventable' AOL
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The Signs of Child Abuse: Calls for Reform at the Department of Child Services
By Sarah Nelson, Indianapolis Star
The signs of 5-year-old Kinsleigh Welty’s abuse were obvious, local officials have said.
Now, family members of the slain girl are calling for changes to the state agency responsible for child welfare, claiming workers assigned to her case should’ve spotted the girls’ injuries and yet failed time and time again to intervene.
Sunday, from the steps of the Indiana Statehouse, Welty’s family and dozens of others called for reform at the Department of Child Services (DCS).
“She will forever be 5 years old due to the abuse, starvation and torture from those who were supposed to love and protect her at all costs,” said Carrie Hogan, the child’s great aunt. “This was preventable, and the public deserves to know.”
In what police called a “horrifying” case of child neglect, Kinsleigh died April 9 from malnourishment and neglect after being forced to live for months in a squalid closet.
Welty’s mother, 29-year-old Toni McClure, is charged with murder in the case with prosecutors seeking life without parole, a higher sentence than the 65-year maximum penalty state law carries for murder convictions. Prosecutors also charged Ryan Smith, McClure’s boyfriend, 27, and Tammy Halsey, Kinsleigh’s grandmother, 53, with neglect in the death.
Hogan, and other members of Kinsleigh’s family, said the case should have never reached this deadly end – pointing to previous times when Welty and her siblings were removed from McClure’s care. Court records show McClure pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent in 2020 in a separate case out of Morgan County.
Marion County’s top prosecutor in recent weeks has also voiced concerns about the obvious signs of Kinsleigh’s abuse and failures to intervene and recently pointed out that Department of Child Services workers were inside the home on the day she died.
“Every single adult let that child down,” Prosecutor Ryan Mears said outside a courtroom moments before filing charges against McClure and Smith.
Mears stated that “multiple people” will be charged in Kinsleigh’s death and his investigators are looking into what child welfare workers knew about the girl’s living conditions before she died. He did not definitively say whether he intends to bring criminal charges against the workers.
The case was also recently brought up to Gov. Eric Holcomb, who shared his condolences and called the child’s death “gut-wrenching.” He also cautioned against casting all blame for the death on the Department of Child Services.
“It’s the worst day imaginable for all who are concerned. No one takes this more seriously than DCS, and the employees there,” Holcomb said. “They are dealt the toughest cases imaginable, and they will continue to do their job and follow the law. They will follow up. They unfortunately can’t always predict evil from striking, but they’re gonna continue to do their job and they have been.”
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<h3>SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being</h3>
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<li>Target 3.1: By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.</li>
<li>Indicator 3.1.1: Maternal mortality ratio.</li>
<li>Target 3.2: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births.</li>
<li>Indicator 3.2.1: Under-5 mortality rate.</li>
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<h3>SDG 5: Gender Equality</h3>
<ul>
<li>Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.</li>
<li>Indicator 5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age group.</li>
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<h3>SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities</h3>
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<li>Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.</li>
<li>Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex and persons with disabilities.</li>
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<h3>SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions</h3>
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<li>Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.</li>
<li>Indicator 16.2.2: Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age and form of exploitation.</li>
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<h2>Analysis</h2>
<h3>1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?</h3>
<p>The issues highlighted in the article are connected to the following SDGs:<br />
– SDG 1: No Poverty<br />
– SDG 2: Zero Hunger<br />
– SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being<br />
– SDG 5: Gender Equality<br />
– SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities<br />
– SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
<h3>2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?</h3>
<p>Based on the article’s content, the following specific targets can be identified:<br />
– Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.<br />
– Target 2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.<br />
– Target 3.1: By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.<br />
– Target 3.2: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births.<br />
– Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.<br />
– Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.<br />
– Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.
<h3>3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?</h3>
<p>The article does not explicitly mention any indicators. However, based on the issues discussed, the following indicators can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:<br />
– Indicator 1.3.1: Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems, by sex, distinguishing children, unemployed persons, older persons, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, newborns, work-injury victims, and the poor and the vulnerable.<br />
– Indicator 2.1.2: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES).<br />
– Indicator 3.1.1: Maternal mortality ratio.<br />
– Indicator 3.2.1: Under-5 mortality rate.<br />
– Indicator 5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age group.<br />
– Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income
<p><strong>Copyright: </strong>Dive into this article, curated with care by SDG Investors Inc. Our advanced AI technology searches through vast amounts of data to spotlight how we are all moving forward with the Sustainable Development Goals. While we own the rights to this content, we invite you to share it to help spread knowledge and spark action on the SDGs.
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