8 years old, 89 kilos heavy

You're right, the mother is going to have to step up to the plate here. We can't expect an 8 year old child to understand the implications of what is happening or of his eating behaviors. I would love to hear an interview with the mother to see where she is coming from. Maybe Oprah can get them on her show! I still think that as a mother she has to be concerned about her child. It looks as if she's a normal body weight from the picture, so it has to be obvious to her that something is wrong here. I hope that with the media and legal attention she has received they will get the help that this child needs.

Generous as usual! Thank you Laurie. The pathos of the situation is really overwhelming. All we have on hand are the media reports. Comments plucked out of statements, and made to mean something that sells? It is fairly clear, sifting through the media verbiage that: 1. The mother is unaware of the current thinking about quality of food. ( In a part of Africa where I have lived, mothers actually promote deep fried meat and veggies as a desirable thing - because oil is expensive and it is a certain elite that can "afford" fried food. The poor eat boiled) 2. When the matter was brought to the attention of the Health Authorities and the local Council, the mother turned defensive and belligerent in the first instance. Your point about locking the refrigerator is valid - More than anything else, this raises issues about the responsibility of caregivers. Now that the child is an object of media attention, I cannot even begin to imagine how we could have coped with the attention, if one of my two boys were in that situation. The remedy may lie with the mother in this case I think.

His caregiver has primary responsibility. Either she herself is so insulated that she has no understanding of nutrition, or she is totally apathetic. Either way - I wonder if this is a form of cruelty.

I wonder if it is the child or the mother that needs the education first!