FAMILY SECRETS
presence of HIV being discovered.
bullying and punishment
A truly shocking 90 per cent of the children
interviewed by Lewis had been bullied, both verbally and physically
at school (the national average is 10 per cent). "I wish I would
stop getting bullied and have more friends," said one young child.
The violence doesn't stop at the school gates, as Lewis found cases of
harassment by neighbours. One mother recalled, "Before we knew it
we were getting name-called, things put through our letterbox. And they
set their dogs on my daughter one afternoon."
Children reported instances of being punished due to constantly arriving
late because their mother was too ill to prepare them for school, or due
to the assumption of care responsibilities. One 18-year-old with a positive
mother describes how she failed her exams because her mother was ill:
"I couldn't leave her for a long time. I thought she was going to
die, and I was devastated. It affected everything. I thought life wasn't
worth living."
positive recommendations
Although being a caregiver as a young person can be demanding, the study
found that it wasn't a universally negative experience. Thomas explains:
"In many cases being a carer was a positive experience and was valued
by many young people. They felt empowered by the role and felt that it
conferred adulthood."
A source of help which young people currently seem happy to access is
hospitals.
page 4 of 7
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Neale Thomas says: "There was a very high level of satisfaction with
