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.

@AnotherEmma how do you know there wouldn’t have been a unit or Officer nearby able to physically attend?

Because I'm not a naive idiot?!

Some of you have a very confused understanding of what can happen from this
The police didnt attend at time. It can be retrospectively called in

On the basis of what’s been posted There will be no social service follow up or referral as there isn’t enough collateral information.
No names
No address
No particular identifying factors
Maybe a description

I'd have followed the family home and reported them with their address. Child protection is everyone's business

@Glamazoni that sounds like a pretty poor performance by all involved, but does that mean you would never want to intervene again? Sorry you had such a bad experience.

I would have tried to discretely filmed on my phone, called the police and followed them home at a distance so that I could have reported.

Follow a violent random home? Stupid and reckless
Child protection is everyone business yes. Charging about like Poundland copper is not your business

When you see a crime in progress you call 999. That's what I'd have done.

[quote SentientAndCognisant]@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[/quote]
OP posted on a public forum asking for opinions on what she should have done. That’s what I would have done, and I don’t know why you assume I wouldn’t have in the OP’s shoes. Not everyone freezes in scenarios like that. I do judge her, and I would judge anyone who just sat there and watched a young girl be assaulted. What on earth do people think 999 is for?! I was taught in primary school that in a dangerous situation, walking away and calling the police is usually a sensible solution.

You say I don’t have a right to judge OP, so what makes you think you have the right to assume anything about me or judge me from a brief post online? If you’re going to post a question like this, you should expect to get a wide range of responses - some of which will disagree with your chosen course of action.

@AnotherEmma whether you are a naive idiot or not doesn’t really answer the question I asked....

does that mean you would never want to intervene again?
I think you have to be very careful about how you intervene and remain anonymous. I also have no faith in police or SS taking action unless the abuse is very severe and happens repeatedly.

This will just be countless people are saying how they’d all
Follow him home
Stealthily trail the family
Commandeer a member of public Car
Get a plane

Everyone is big I am online. None of you were there, in real life with your 2 kids(1 in a buggy)

I did once try to intervene when a man went ape shit at his kid in the car. And the guy got very aggressive. I tried to memorize the numberplate/car make. Called NSPCC and they told me to call the police. Called the police and they said that they couldn't track the car because I could only recall the first four digits of the car (in addition to make and colour). I was shocked that they couldn't. I didn't have a camera on my phone, but the shop that the dad went into had CCTV (I confirmed this with the shop). The police just did not seem interested, sadly. I still think about that poor boy and feel that I let him down.

@Namechangearoo honestly, don’t waste your time. Sentient is far too busy labelling people as ‘stupid’, “ virtuous” or her favourite, ‘the big I am” to consider that anyone could have an opinion contrary to hers.

@SentientAndCognisant

Some of you have a very confused understanding of what can happen from this The police didnt attend at time. It can be retrospectively called in

On the basis of what’s been posted There will be no social service follow up or referral as there isn’t enough collateral information.
No names
No address
No particular identifying factors
Maybe a description

The police should of been called. OP would of felt better that she attempted to help. We don’t know if the dad flared up again on the way home... police should still be called. If someone tried to break into your house on a night are you then not going to report it because you didn’t get a description? This happened to me. I still phoned the police though... granted there was not a lot to tell them but they came and looked round the area and logged the incident. Ridiculous that your suggesting otherwise!

@SentientAndCognisant you're kind of creating a judgement inception here, aren't you? You're judging people for their opinions on what they would have done. On a thread asking for opinions on what they would have done. Let that sink in for a second.

@SentientAndCognisant

Well, you obviously don't know me because that is exactly what I would do! And indeed have done in the past. I am not one to turn a blind eye. And I have followed people before at a distance (Inc a bike thief and a car thief).

@SentientAndCognisant it’s a shame that you obviously really believe that all of us saying we’d call the police, wouldn’t in real life. I can assure you I would have. I know some people will say it would have been no use but I couldn’t have sat there and done nothing. I don’t know why you keep repeating that one of OP’s kids was in a buggy. Last time I checked they had wheels and she could have taken the other child’s hand and walked a safe distance away. To be honest, even if she didn’t want to call the police, discreetly distancing herself and her children from a lunatic like that is probably a good idea!

I’m simply challenging the falsehoods being suggested the supposed outcomes
In absence of identifying family details there will be no C&F referral or help

I genuinely think following a violent random Man is risky,yes and stupid

This can be reported retrospectively but the details are scant

And yes I do think people big themselves up, their heroic intervention were they there

Film it and phone the police. If my brain didn't go into freeze mode from the shock

And yes, I would have called the police. I would have stayed far away enough not to be heard and to give a full description of the people. Even standing with my children in their pushchair. And following that call I would have intervened if he was still carrying on. I have done something similar before. So I know very well that I would do that.

SentientAndCognisant

Follow a violent random home? Stupid and reckless

OK maybe I would do nothing and hope the child was fine..... Better? 🙄

"And yes I do think people big themselves up, their heroic intervention were they there"

So? Let them feel the guilt if they later fail to follow through. All you're doing right now is minimising the urgency to do anything. The little girl in this scenario was having her trousers pulled down in public. If you wouldn't do anything about that, then that's your prerogative. But that's a hideous thing to witness and I would also want to demonstrate to my own children that we don't watch others being abused and stand by doing nothing.

I'd have called emergency for the police... Not sure what that is in your country. US it's 911

Interesting, isn’t it, how at no point in this thread has Sentient actually stated what SHE would do?