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The Little Prisoner: A Memoir
Stories of child abuse and neglect are usually heartbreaking, and ‘The Little Prisoner: A Memoir’ by Jane Elliott is no exception. So many children suffer horrific abuse at the hands of adults trusted to take care of them. Unfortunately, many of these children are too scared to come out and tell their stories due to threats and intimidation. Young children often do not know who to turn to, and adults take advantage of this innocence and naivety to abuse and neglect minors in their care. From the tender age of four, Jane Elliot was abused and neglected by her parents for seventeen years of her life until she managed to escape and build a life of her own. The most tragic part of the story is that Jane’s whole family knew of the abuse, but they never stood up for her. In fact, they sided with her abusive stepfather, claiming that he was family and therefore she should overlook everything he did to her.
Jane’s parents got divorced at an early age, and she went into foster care. However, she went back to her mother, who got married to a new man. Trouble soon started for Jane when her stepfather asked her to play ‘games’ with him, which were, in fact, acts of sexual abuse. This would go on for the next seventeen years, escalating as time passed. Jane was sexually abused, beaten up, threatened, controlled, and emotionally abused by her stepfather, while the rest of her family did nothing. Granted, they too experienced physical abuse in the hands of this man, but Jane had it so much worse. For seventeen years, the poor child endured horrific abuse, which is too much to bear for anyone, let alone a child. Eventually, at seventeen, Jane escaped her situation, encouraged by her boyfriend Steven and concerns for her daughter. Five years later, she gathered enough courage to report the abuse to the authorities. Unfortunately, her brave actions were met with hostility, and she received death threats and even a severe beating from her cousin. The story ends with Jane’s stepfather getting fifteen years in jail. Although the sentence represents some justice for Jane, it does not make up for the terrible things that happened to her.
Reading Jane’s book was gut-wrenching, and I had to stop several times to wipe away tears. The knowledge that the book is based on a real-life story made it even harder. The graphic nature of the abuse made me nauseous, and I could not believe that any human would treat a child like Richard treated Jane. The truth is that so many children suffer the same fate, and some never get justice for the horrific things done to them. Children are supposed to enjoy their innocent years happily, protected by their family and community. Jane never had this luxury; she was robbed of her innocence at four years. She was severely abused for almost two decades.
I cannot imagine the fear, pain, and loneliness that Jane felt growing up. Her own mother completely abandoned her and let her stepfather abuse her. The rest of her siblings also never spoke up for her. As a child, she expected her mother to protect her, but she had no one. It is a miracle that she survived as long as she did in the toxic environment. Jane suffered a lifetime of scars, and I am awed by her bravery in standing up for herself despite the threats she faced from her family. The stepfather eventually got a fifteen-year jail term, validating Jane’s efforts to get justice for her abuse. The justice system and other child protection agencies should do better to protect the lives of innocent children.
