When the Child You Protect Becomes the One You Fear

There is a troubling paradox emerging in Mauritius that child protection workers, educators, and families are increasingly confronting: the child who was shielded from harm at home is now, in some cases, becoming a source of fear within that same home. This is not about blaming children. It is about understanding a cycle that, when left unaddressed, can spiral in painful and sometimes dangerous directions. **From victim to aggressor — how does it happen?** Children who grow up in environments marked by violence, neglect, or emotional instability often internalise what they witness. Without appropriate psychological support, some replicate those patterns — not because they are inherently dangerous, but because aggression or intimidation is the only relational model they have been exposed to. In Mauritius, where mental health resources for children remain limited and stigma around seeking help is still significant, many of these young people fall through the cracks. They may have been identified as at-risk by a school counsellor or a social worker, referred to an institution, and then returned to a family environment that has not changed — and neither, without support, have they. **Who is affected?** This issue touches families across the social spectrum, though it is most visible in households already dealing with poverty, substance abuse, or a history of domestic violence. Parents — particularly mothers — sometimes find themselves on the receiving end of verbal threats, intimidation, or physical aggression from their own teenage children, and feel unable to speak out for fear of judgment or of triggering legal consequences for their child. Social workers in Mauritius report that this silence makes the problem harder to address. Families rarely seek help until a situation has escalated severely. **What this means** For Mauritius, this issue points to a gap in the child protection system: intervention often ends when a child is placed in safety, but does not adequately follow through with long-term psychological support — for the child or the family. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, along with institutions such as the Child Development Unit (CDU), plays a central role in child welfare cases, but capacity constraints are a known challenge. Experts and advocates argue that a preventive, family-centred approach — involving therapy, parenting support, and school-based mental health resources — is essential to breaking this cycle before it hardens. This is not a story about dangerous children. It is a story about a system that protects children from harm but does not always give them — or their families — the tools to heal. Source: Le Defi Media