Deterrent can be an effective form of rehab.

A former coworker of mine walks funny because he had polio as a child, and his father worked for the railway union after WWII. He told me one day in high school, one of his friends came to school with bruises couldn’t hide, inflicted by his drunk father. Everyone in school knew, everyone in town knew, but no one did anything.

My coworker informed his dad, about the egregious injuries that day. His dad drove to the drunk man’s house and knocked on the door and seized the drunk man by the collar: “if you ever touch that boy again, I’ll kill you.”

The threat must have been believable coming from a rail union worker, because it rehabilitated the recipient’s decision making processes going forward.

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lava_pidgeon 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

And today the drunk father would lose the responsibility for his child which is a better and non violent answer.

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elevation 2 days ago | parent [-]

> father would lose the responsibility for his child

This HN discussion of systemic abuse in US Catholic orphanages last century also discusses vast, documented ongoing abuse in both religious and state run care/foster systems around the globe. Statistically, these systems cause more abuse than they prevent, and should only be a last resort.

[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17852129

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lava_pidgeon 16 hours ago | parent [-]

Why do you assume that it works such in America = world wide? I was in such a system but I was a relief. But not America

	▲	elevation 8 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I'm not an expert in all nations but systemic abuse in abuse prevention systems is not uniquely american. For instance, the British care system seems consistent with American results - a Brit I talked to told me that in year, roughly 1 in 2 children report sexual abuse at the hands of their caretaker or an older child. It's hard to tell the extent of the unreported abuses. And yet, widespread abuses doesn't preclude the possibility of children escaping unharmed. I'm glad you made it through.

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BobaFloutist 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> He told me one day in high school, one of his friends came to school with bruises couldn’t hide, inflicted by his drunk father.

Sorry, you're telling this story as a way of supporting beating kids...?

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jitler 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

> My coworker informed his dad, about the egregious injuries that day. His dad drove to the drunk man’s house and knocked on the door and seized the drunk man by the collar: “if you ever touch that boy again, I’ll kill you.”

Yeah that wouldn’t fly nowadays. Your friend’s father would be hot with a slew of charges from “terroristic threats” to “meanacing”