Tiffany Meek case shatters 'safe mother' myth - Caroline Peters, Callas Foundation
Tiffany Nicole Meek, the mother of Jayden-Lee Meek, made her first appearance in the Roodepoort Magistrate's Court on Monday.
The mother of the 11-year-old Jayden Lee Meek, Tiffany Nicole Meek makes her first appearance for the murder of her son. Picture: Sphamandla Dlamini/Eyewitness News
CapeTalk's Clarence Ford is joined by Caroline Peters of the Callas Foundation.
Listen below:
A woman has appeared in court, accused of the murder of 11-year-old Jayden-Lee Meek.
The alleged perpetrator? The boy's mother, Tiffany Meek.
Jayden's body was discovered outside the family's home in Fleurhof less than two months ago, just hours after his mother reported him missing, claiming he had not returned from school.
Peters says it is such a difficult case for us to come to terms with because it challenges our perceptions and assumptions about women and, specifically, mothers.
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"Society sees women, especially mothers, as natural nurturers, so when the mother is the alleged perpetrator of violence against her child, we're stunned, we ask, 'How is this possible?'"
- Caroline Peters, Callas Foundation
The truth is, says Peters, that not all mothers are safe.
"We've seen it in so many cases, whether nature or nurture, where DSD remove children from foster or adoptive parents and back to biological mothers, we've seen children die just after being removed and going back with biological parents."
- Caroline Peters, Callas Foundation
Peters says while cases of filicide (parents killing their children) are rare, they speak to a systemic problem.
"We must look at the system that is failing our children. Where was the early intervention? There were signs."
- Caroline Peters, Callas Foundation
Peters argues that slogans like 'it takes a village to raise a child' and 'your child is my child' are meaningless unless society actively lives up to them by protecting children.
Social media also has a role to play, she says.
"Are we raising children in homes where performance is prioritised over protection?"
- Caroline Peters, Callas Foundation
Meek has been charged with murder, defeating the ends of justice, inflicting grievous bodily harm, and obstructing the course of justice in connection with her son's death.
The case has been postponed to Friday for further investigations.
Scroll up to listen to the full conversation from Views and News with Clarence Ford.