Child protection - A system in dire need of replacement

IN the relative calm that has settled after the extraordinary events of the past 10 days, the Government must apply itself in repairing the collateral damage in the system that has become glaringly obvious, especially in the area of child protection measures.

Vital though that is, there are also factors neglected, or missing, which were supposed to act as an early warning system but failed utterly to stimulate the Government to an issue of constitutionality that would rock it and the country as a whole.

All the signals had been given, and completely ignored, by the Government, that the Supreme Court would consider the defence not allowed in the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1935, mistake as to age. On May 23, it did just that, and struck down the provision which eventually resulted in the release of Mr A, leading to unprecedented public outrage.