Chapters (14)
Caroline hesitates. ‘All children are vulnerable,’ she says, making parallel lines with her hands, ‘all children are innocent, and all of them should be protected.’
‘But isn’t it true that some children are more vulnerable than others?’ Claire asks. ‘Isn’t that what you’ve just said? It seems to me’ – she pokes the earpiece again – ‘that you’re asking very tough questions of Rob and the teachers he represents, and asking tough questions of schools and other institutions, but you’re not questioning the institution you represent, which is the family, which is mothers, and fathers. What role do parents play in a child’s abuse?’
—Claire—
‘I don’t think,’ Caroline says, half-laughing, ‘I don’t think you can say that parents play a role in abuse—’
‘You can’t?’
—what the fuck are you doing?
‘—since parents are the victims of abusers as well as the children they abuse—’
‘Really? Parents are victims?’
‘Of course they are,’ Caroline says, and Claire sees the colour is high in her cheeks, burning through the minimally made-up sheen.
‘I think what Caroline’s saying,’ Rob ventures, sounding almost gallant, ‘is that parents are affected too, by the responsibility—’
‘No, she’s not, she’s saying that parents bear no responsibility whatsoever.’
‘Absolutely not, and I resent the implication—’
‘Then tell us, because it’s still not clear, where you do stand on the issue of parents. They’re responsible, but they’re not responsible. Am I understanding you right?’
—Shut it down, or we’re cutting—
She hooks the earpiece out. Caroline huffs a laugh and says, ‘I think it’s appalling that the media wants to villainise parents. I was asked here to talk about the role that schools play in cases like the tragic case of Birmingham, of Beverley, what happened to her, that’s what my organisation is concerned about, so I don’t really see—’
‘You don’t see the link between what happens at home and what happens at school?’
‘Yes, but—’
‘Yes, but what?’
‘You can’t blame parents for abuse committed by teachers! It’s morally indefensible! They’ve already been destroyed by what’s happened – they already feel guilty beyond belief – trying to put that on them too, that’s appalling—’
‘But why feel guilty if they’ve done nothing wrong?’
‘Because they were supposed to protect their child!’
‘Exactly,’ says Claire, leaning forward now, ‘exactly, and they f—’