Question

Bianca is referred to you one night after she drank a tablet to have a miscarriage. Bianca is 12 years old and lives with her stepfather, mother and several other people in the house. Bianca tells you that her stepfather has been climbing in her bed with her in the nights when her stepmother is at work. Her stepfather tells her that she makes him feel good and buys things for her. Her stepfather does not beat her, but her mother beats her a lot. Bianca knows that something is wrong. Her mother found out she is pregnant and beat her and called her a hoe several times. Her mother then told her to drink the tablet. Bianca drank the tablet and did not know why she was drinking it. When she started bleeding, she told her mother who then brought her to the hospital. Her mother is standing outside of the room. Bianca does not want any more problems. She is suffering from pain. She also has exams to write soon. Bianca is not talking to the nurses and she does not want to see her mother. She does not want to go to the police.

1. What are the forms of abuse in this case?

2. What are the needs of Bianca from the Assessment Framework which have to be addressed in this case?

3. For each need identified in 2 above, how would you seek to address the needs?

Answer 1

Answer- 1. To start off with, the main matter of concern is that Bianca is very young and has been sexually abused by her stepfather. This itself is pretty alarming as it is quite evident that Bianca is not safe in her own house and needs to get out of that house immediately. The second form of abuse is physical abuse by her own mother. Such form of abuse will not only affect her physically but also mentally to a great extent. In this case, apart from treating her condition, Child Protective Services should be contacted immediately.

2. Bianca needs assistance, not only medically, but also emotionally. The '"tablet" that she took could be very dangerous and in such a case, it is very essential to get her to talk. In this situation, a therapist or a child psychologist should be called in to try and talk to her.