Story: Child abuse

Death through abuse

A run-down house with a child at a window with a woman reaching up to him.

This is the house lived in by seven-year-old Henry Wain, who died in 1883 through a combination of parental abuse and neglect. His father and stepmother were convicted of his manslaughter. In this recreated scene a woman is handing bread through a window to a fictitious Henry Wain, watched by another concerned woman at the fence on the right.

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Toitū Otago Settlers Museum

Permission of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Bronwyn Dalley, 'Child abuse - Rates of child abuse', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/30525/death-through-abuse (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Bronwyn Dalley, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 7 Jan 2024