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in addition to the absolute lunacy of the charges in the main article, the list of similar cases where parents were charged/convicted for letting their children walk a short distance alone is absurd

america really is a backwards place

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It's not backward, it's too forward. No one got arrested 100 yrs ago for letting their kid walk around alone.

Canada too. Have heard similar stories from Ireland and the UK.

Social problems increase to occupy the social workers available.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-mom-cfs-bac...

That article is from 10 years ago and it was just a checkup after a call in and no penalty so it doesn't seem comparable. Even the child services people quoted in the article emphasize that about half of these checkups involve no further action or penalties including that case.

Haven't heard a single story like this from Ireland in the last 20 years, but I'm happy to be corrected. If anything the police here are too lenient on children running amok. It's common to see 9 year olds flying around on e-scooters. The UK might be a different story.

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