What would you do if you saw a child been physically abused by their Dad in the park?

[Ladycoo1]

Took my 2 children to the park today and there was a family with mum and dad and 3 kids. Everything was fine then all of a sudden the dad was raging and shouting at his 8 year old daughter, mum was not stopping him. He dragged her by her leg along the grass and started to take her trousers down and shouting he was going to smack her. Mum intervened Dad eventually stopped but proceeded to shout at the daughter.. They went home. I feel terrible that I watched everything discretely and did not help her out. What would be the right thing to do in this situation? God knows what happens behind closed doors.

Video, from a safe distance unobserved - yes
Follow them,get car reg, yes if safe and Unobserved
Get their address?How would you safely do that.

@Glamazoni dragging a child by the leg across the grass is more than smacking. I have seen cases charged, prosecuted and convicted over less, so it is a bit unfair to say Police would do nothing.

What if he was under investigation/on bail for a similar offence?

Is the park on CCTV or anything near it the family may have walked past to get to the park? If so you could still report. It's either it's so much worse behind closed doors/ so normal and occurs alot he was happy to do it in public. You may still be able to help that child and he will never know it was you.

Honestly, no I wouldn't intervine if I was with my small children because of fears for their and my safety. Also you said that mum did intervine eventually. Not great but she stepped in. The police would not turn up in time, if at all for this and if you don't know their names then there's nothing they can act on. If they were in a car I'd take the number plate and give the local ss a call and hope they'd do a welfare check.

How did you know the child was 8 yrs old OP ?

I would call the police but I would be scared to intervene if with my children.

You could still call now and report. If the police think it is worth following up there may be CCTV on the car park. I suspect they won't though, but then you know you tried.

How upsetting to have witnessed that and to wish that you had done something

In hindsight and from reading the suggestions on this thread, I think the best response would be to try and video what is happening (as discreetly as possible) and sneakily follow them when they left to see if they got into a car - in which case you could write down the registration.

But I doubt I would have thought to do either of those things at the time! And it might not be possible - especially if you are alone with your own children, they're not necessarily going to come along quietly when you try to follow the family out of the park.

PS obviously if you get a video and the car registration then you could report to police / SS.

I would have called the police. I did once shout at a woman who backhanded her little one across the face so hard she hit her head on the wall behind her. I didn't plan to shout it was just an automatic reaction. I told her she was a bloody disgrace. I knew the child and reported her mother to social care who were already involved.

@hiredandsqueak you are spot on, this is exactly why these things should be reported, challenged or whatever form of action someone deems appropriate to take as it is so often the missing or last piece needed of the jigsaw.

Totally agree with @IWantT0BreakFree 100%

It is highly improbable that a man like that is unknown to SS

But yes, a video might have helped, if you could do it discreetly.

This type of man couldn't care less about your kids and would attack you.

Trust your instincts, you were the only person there

The father sounds bloody evil. It’s sickening that people like that are allowed to have kids IMO. It’s a shame you didn’t call the police at the time OP, but hindsight is a fine thing. I would second the pp who said to call them now just in case there was CCTV or anything that they could use.

"It’s sickening that people like that are allowed to have kids IMO."

Allowed?
So what should be done - forced sterilisation of "people like that"?!

@hiredandsqueak, you intervened when you knew the mother & child
Op didn’t know the man,or family. She’s observing his violence for first time
Two very different Scenario

I would have discreetly videoed, packed up my kids and walked away, then called the police. I can’t believe you did nothing

(If not safe to video then skip that bit, but the rest applies)

And what would you tell the police if you had no video, no car registration and no other identifying details?!

So what should be done - forced sterilisation of "people like that"?!

Actually , yes of course Child abusers should be sterilized. At best.

So how did Op know the child was 8 ?

I always call people out on stuff like that with the exception of when I’m in sole charge of my own children. Your own children are your priority and if he turned on you (he sounds like a nasty piece of work) then you’d have put your own children at risk.

@NamechangearooYes it is very easy to be virtuous at home,when you weren’t there. Everyone is the big I am online

Op was shocked, scared,froze at the magnitude of what she was observing. She also had 2 kids, 1 in a buggy . You have no right to judge her. None

@AnotherEmma I guess that would be the point of calling the Police there and then, as those others details then become redundant.

[quote BananaPop2020]@AnotherEmma I guess that would be the point of calling the Police there and then, as those others details then become redundant.[/quote]
Why? Because the police are going to turn up immediately and arrest the guy?!

Meanwhile, in the real world... with no information the police can't do anything.

@SentientAndCognisant this isn’t about being virtuous, @Namechangearoo was simply answering the question that was asked. There is absolutely NO obligation on you to like the answer.

it is a bit unfair to say Police would do nothing
I say this as someone who did report very severe child abuse. The police only ever gave the woman a telling off, despite repeated physical abuse. SS failed to remove the children after serious beatings, preferring to send the mum to parenting support sessions and just keep an eye on her. It was only after she beat the eldest unconscious that they actually took the kids away. The police subsequently failed to protect me when the mum retaliated by putting my windows out and threatening to hurt my child. The school had to keep my son in at break because she was threatening to abduct him from school and hurt him. Police just shrugged and said until she actually does something we can’t act because it’s only threats.