Rescue of First-Grade Girl Abused by Methamphetamine-Addicted Mother Who Kicked Her Down Stairs and Burned Her Hand
A seven-year-old girl in Khon Kaen was rescued after her methamphetamine-addicted mother kicked her down stairs and burned her hand with a lighter; the mother is now in custody receiving addiction treatment.
On June 29, social workers and child welfare officials from Udon Thani province, along with police from Ban Thuem Station, held a meeting to assist a family in Khon Kaen District after residents reported that a 37-year-old woman named Ms. Noi, who is three to four months pregnant, has been regularly abusing her seven-year-old daughter who is in first grade. The girl's grandmother, 56-year-old Nang Chit, provided authorities with video footage secretly recorded by her grandson showing the mother kicking the young girl violently. Nang Chit explained that her daughter has three children from different fathers and is pregnant with a fourth child whose father is unknown. The daughter became addicted to drugs years ago after her first husband's death. She received 180,000 baht in insurance money but spent it all on methamphetamine, giving her mother only 10,000 baht. The daughter now suffers severe drug addiction with hallucinations. Two to three days ago, she became violent and brutally attacked the girl, kicking her down the stairs and burning her fingers with a lighter. The grandmother expressed deep concern and requested officials help her daughter receive addiction treatment.
School principal Ms. Thitima revealed that the girl, nicknamed A, was originally cheerful before the school learned the mother was heavily addicted to drugs. The school had previously paid the girl for helping collect garbage but discontinued this after discovering the mother was using the money to buy methamphetamine. Instead, the school now provides the girl with lunch, boiled eggs, instant noodles, and canned fish to take home. Recently, teachers noticed bruises on the girl's body, irregular school attendance, and that her grandmother sometimes had to bring her at midday. Upon questioning, they learned the mother was confining her and preventing school attendance, forcing her to work at home instead. The latest discovery of burns on her hand from a lighter and cuts on her legs prompted the school to urgently contact village leaders and relevant agencies for intervention.
Police took Ms. Noi into custody and transported her to Udon Thani Central Hospital for drug addiction assessment and treatment.
