Another week, another little one killed

Six-month-old Cezar Taylor died from severe head injuries. Photo / Supplied

Another week, another little one killed in a driveway - and another by violent hands.

The two cases, while both sad, are very different. The death of 22-month-old Talitauaiseaso Itamua in Weymouth on Sunday after being hit by a car was tragic bad luck. I'm not pointing the finger because like many of us, on a daily basis I jump in the car, reverse out of the car port, and roar off without checking properly behind me.

One proposal to reduce the high rates of driveway deaths is to install rear vision cameras in cars. Well, forget about it, the simple answer is to not be in such a bloody hurry - and look before hooning backwards.

Then there's the case of 6-month-old Cezar Taylor, which is as sickening as it gets. Yet it's not so easily fixed.

On average 8 young children are killed every year at the hands of family members in New Zealand - and some experts say it's more like one little boy or girl a month.

Often these deaths are more about the cycle of violence within families than just one person's actions. It was revealed yesterday that Child Youth and Family have been involved with the family of Cezar many times in the past few years. But still, even with expert intervention, the little fella is gone.

While the likes of child advocate Christine Rankin say CYFs need a shake up, it also needs family members, friends, neighbours and the like to start dobbing in those who commit these crimes against kids.

The government is promising to toughen up child abuse laws, which will hopefully mean more severe punishments, and make these "mongrels in the home" - as social development minister Paula Bennett calls them - more accountable for their actions.

I'm not campaigning for a ban on some people having kids. Because while some people are clearly not fit to be a father, a mother, or any sort of caregiver, I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the chance of experiencing one of the biggest joys anyone can have in their lives. But giving a child abuser a good shake themselves, or even dishing out some "blunt force trauma" by way of pay back, is possibly what some of these people need.

I feel for little Cezar, who never even got to climb trees, ride a bike, or hang out with his mates. And what his case does is make me want to love, cuddle, and look after my own family as if my life and their's depends on it.