Beaten Boy

I'm in the courtyard talking to Karrus Hayes. Simon and Hannah and
another teacher are now next to us. the teacher is holding the arm of a
boy - he is about seven. the boy is dusty and dirty, his flies are
broken and he is crying. "look at this boy" someone says, "he's been
beaten very bad". His arm is held aloft, he has scar tissue all up his
forearms where he has raised them to protect himself. there are fresh
wounds. I notice his swollen hands at immediately, we are told that
stones have been rapped on his hands. His domed brown head is swollen
too. "who did this to you, eh?, your Mudda? your Fadda?, who you have at home?" Yes, with amazed reaction he has a Mother AND Father at home. "Who did dis to you?.", "My Mudda", he whispers. Hannah and I can take no more and move away, Simon is a
tower of strength, talking kindly and firmly to the boy, how this is
not right, does he have a brother to protect him. Next thing Sam, a
teacher and Simon are out the gate off to see this boy ... Peter's
mother. I look again at him, more composed mow and cup my hand in his
cheek unable to speak. I see the sores on his legs and bare feet -
flies buzz around them. Hannah goes to get some major antiseptic and
something to clean them with. I am working on a computer , i tell him to
sit with me and watch, he does. I give him my black pencil from the innocuously luxurious Mal
Maison hotel in Manchester and tell him to draw me a picture. we sit
together working. "Oh, you right with your left hand", I say, "that is
a sign that you are very creative, you will be a good painter, poet or
actor", he smiles, and indeed his drawing of a comb is excellent. Simon
returns, he says, when confronted the mother knew she had done wrong,
he could tell by the beating vain at her neck showing adrenalin. They
gave her stern words and she had said, "He's a bad boy, never does as
he's told, he needs to be beaten". Now, they have corporal punishment
here at the school - all schools do - it's a culture thing. they know
the
volunteers disapprove and do it out of our sight. I believe it is our
place to strongly express this disapproval but no more - who are we but
visitor's, guests in this country and camp - you must be conscious of
cultural differences no matter how shocking and we, of course ensure
that no child is hit in our classes. Tough but this is a tough place. A
teacher
says, "the mudda is beating him in anger, she says he is a bad boy,",Hannah is emphatic, saying my thought,"no child is bad, they may learn how to do bad things but he is not
born bad". Teacher, "he should be beaten with love, not in anger." None
of us know what to say to that one. Again Simon is great with Peter,
asking him question's, playful, trying to get this boy distracted from
all of this. next I hear his parents have been called to the school,
within minutes they arrive. I don't see them as they are talking to
Principal Ballah , the door is open but I can only see Peter standing
there.
The parents are, I hope, getting the bollocking of a lifetime, the
length of time they're in there i guess this is the case. I
have heard of cases of children being removed from 'house'holds put with foster mothers and prosecutions
being made. I am heartened that is seems this horror is being
efficiently dealt with by the school. I look at Peter in the gloomy oppressive
office from the bright light and freedom of the courtyard, he is stood
swivelling on one foot; he could be any boy. For comfort he is chewing
on my pencil from Manchester, still gripped in swollen hands.