Critically injured Vlaardingen girl still unconscious; Foster parents arraigned today
A 10-year-old girl from Vlaardingen who was hospitalized with critical injuries last week has still not regained consciousness, mayor Bert Wijbenga said on the TV program Op1 on Wednesday. Her foster parents were arrested on Monday for attempted manslaughter and will be arraigned today.
Mayor Wijbenga said that he feared “it will not end well” for the girl. The day she was hurt was “a black day for the entire city,” he said. “The sadness is great, and there is also a lot of anger.”
The authorities are now responsible for investigating what happened and determining “who made mistakes.” The mayor said over 20 detectives are working to uncover all information about the case.
Earlier this week, AD reported that the girl had asked multiple people for help, telling them that her foster parents were abusing her. She approached people at school and strangers at the supermarket and mall. At least once, that led to the police being called.
Local residents also raised concerns that the child was being abused, reporting it to the neighborhood police, foster care, and Veilig Thuis, the agency that handles domestic abuse cases.
The child’s mother said through her lawyers that she lives between hope and fear. “She hopes for recovery but fears the worst,” the lawyers said, according to NOS.
