You raise good points, PM. In all such matters, there are limits to what legislation and government intervention (or even intervention by private interested parties of good will) can accomplish. In truth, children are usually at the mercy of their parents, and if they have the bad luck to have lousy parents, it’s often a bit of a miracle if they make it through to healthy, sane adulthood.
That is the point I was trying to get at...this poor child was doomed. Other than contacting Child Welfare, no other real intervention could be made by anyone. Just heartbreaking.