Parents failed to provide help 16-year-old with eating disorder dies after coronavirus infection
In Lower Franconia, a girl presumably died as a result of malnutrition. The parents are now on trial.
Image: dpa
After the death of their malnourished child, the parents are on trial. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The accused mother in the courtroom at Schweinfurt District Court: "I am very sad and feel very guilty towards Pauline."
Image: dpa
In Lower Franconia, a girl presumably died as a result of malnutrition. The parents are now on trial.
Image: dpa
After the death of their malnourished child, the parents are on trial. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The accused mother in the courtroom at Schweinfurt District Court: "I am very sad and feel very guilty towards Pauline."
Image: dpa
During the coronavirus pandemic, a family of five from Lower Franconia became increasingly withdrawn. One daughter lost weight down to the bone - with fatal consequences. The parents are now on trial.
22.11.2024, 09:18
dpa
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- The parents of a 16-year-old girl who died in 2022 as a result of an eating disorder are on trial at Schweinfurt District Court.
- They are accused of not taking their daughter to a doctor despite her illness.
- The parents admitted that they had not taken their daughter to hospital, but claimed that they had not recognized the danger.
Around two years ago, a 16-year-old girl suffering from an eating disorder died in Lower Franconia, Germany, severely emaciated, presumably as a result of malnutrition. The parents are now on trial at Schweinfurt District Court.
At the start of the trial, the couple took responsibility for what happened. The public prosecutor's office accuses the mother and father of not seeking medical help, although both could have assumed that their daughter's life was in danger.
"Until the end, we couldn't imagine that Pauline would die," said the father's lawyer on behalf of his client. "I thought until the end that everything would be all right. I should have made sure that Pauline was treated in hospital, even against her will."
The 16-year-old's mother also had a statement read out by her defense lawyer at the start of the trial at Schweinfurt District Court. She had not realized how dangerous the situation was. "Of course, in retrospect I assess my behavior completely differently. I am very sad and feel very guilty towards Pauline."
Parents did not alert a doctor despite illness
According to senior public prosecutor Markus Küstner, the teenager suffered from an eating disorder and was malnourished, had contracted coronavirus shortly before her death in December 2022 and was suffering from a gastrointestinal infection. Despite this, the 51-year-old father and his 48-year-old wife are said not to have called a doctor. The mentally unstable girl died in her parents' bed, presumably as a result of malnutrition.
Salt sticks to eat
On the first day of the trial, however, the mother denied having condoned her daughter's death. "She drank on her own and also ate salt sticks again and again," said the woman's defense lawyer.
The family, which also includes two children, had lived a very secluded life during the coronavirus pandemic. The fashion-conscious 16-year-old was on social media a lot at the time and showed off her crochet work. Otherwise, the girl had an anxiety disorder and therefore resisted hospitalization, said the mother's lawyer.
Do you or does someone you know have a mental illness? You can find help here:
- Pro Mente Sana, phone 0848 800 858
- Kinderseele Schweiz, counseling for mentally distressed parents and their relatives
- Postpartum Depression Association, telephone 044 720 25 55
- Angehörige.ch, advice and contact points
- VASK, regional associations for relatives
- Swiss Self-Help Foundation, coordination and service center for regional self-help centers
- Pro Juventute, advice for children and young people, telephone 147
- Dargebotene Hand, worry hotline, telephone 143
- Anxiety and panic help Switzerland, phone 0848 801 109
Mental illness in the pandemic has increased, especially among girls
According to scientists, the number of young people with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia has risen nationwide - especially during the coronavirus pandemic. According to a study by KKH Kaufmännische Krankenkasse, there was a massive increase of more than 30 percent between 2020 and 2021, especially among 12 to 17-year-old girls and women. One of the reasons - in addition to the pandemic: so-called fake ideals and the flood of images of supposedly flawless people on social media platforms.
