December 4, 2007
Statement issued by Professionals against Child Abuse (PACA) in response to today’s news from the GMC
“Dr Southall has been a courageous defender of abused children and it is his dedication to that cause that has made him a high-profile target for a group of activists working on behalf of parents accused of child abuse.
Today’s decision, a victory for this group, is utterly perverse and we condemn it unreservedly, not only because we believe it represents a grotesque miscarriage of justice but also because it sends out a simple message to any doctor so much as thinking about engaging in child protection: ‘Don’t bother. It isn’t worth it; you will lose your livelihood.’ I needn’t spell out where that leaves abused children.
Dr Southall was found guilty of accusing a mother of murder nine years ago. He says he did not and it was up to the GMC to prove that he did. They proved no such thing. Instead, they chose to believe the uncorroborated evidence of a naturally aggrieved mother and to reject Dr Southall’s version of events, even though it was endorsed by the evidence of the senior social worker who had sat through the interview in question.
Paediatricians are disgusted and disillusioned and if the government doesn’t sit up and take notice of what is going on in this country I fear for the future of child protection”
PACA is a growing lobby group currently having seventy members who are senior professionals, Paediatricians, Lawyers and Child Psychologist