A mother who starved her three-year-old son, and later buried him in her garden, has admitted for the first time that her extreme form of veganism caused his death, according to British media reports this week.
Abiyah Yasharahyalah died in 2020 of a respiratory illness, which is understood to have been worsened by malnutrition stemming from a “restricted” vegan diet. The young boy ate mostly nuts, raisins and soya milk which resulted in severe malnourishment, anaemia, rickets and stunted growth.
The review by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership on Wednesday found that cultural beliefs led Abiyah’s mother to believe she was “doing the right thing” for her son - something she now knows to be untrue.
The Coventry Crown Court last year had heard how the couple fed their son based on an “invented” belief system partly inspired by Igbo culture.
She said it was “hard to accept that my approach did not lead to the best outcomes for my child and that it took the court process to take me out of that bubble.”
Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, the parents of Abiyah, were sentenced to 24-and-a-half years and 19-and-a-half years both for their son’s death and for perverting the course of justice.
After Abiya’s death, the couple left his body buried in the garden of their property when they were evicted in 2022.
How did authorities fail to save Abiyah Yasharahyalah?
Prior to his death, Abiyah “was only ever seen by a small number of professionals during his lifetime, and for a limited time only.”
Despite his health problems and stunted growth, a London-based social worker and Birmingham-based children’s center failed to properly investigate his welfare.
“Records of these contacts and interactions are very limited, reinforcing that there was very little insight into [Abiyah’s] existence, health or welfare,” the review found.
The COVID-19 lockdown is thought to have explained why there was no follow up inquiry when Abiyah failed to appear for routine vaccinations.
It was also suggested that authorities failed to intervene over fears of being branded racist.
Kevin Ball, the report author, shared “If any family engages in cultural practices which are harmful to children, this must not be overlooked, and the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount.”
Annie Hudson, chairman of the child safeguarding practice review panel, shared: “The local child safeguarding review published today highlights important learning, including about how Abiyah became invisible and lost from the view and oversight of professionals. It evidences strongly the paramount importance of understanding what life is like for children, and not being distracted or diverted away by parental behaviour when considering children’s safety and welfare.
“It is important to respect parents’ faith and beliefs. However, as this review highlights, professionals must always be mindful of whether their views about parents, including their faith, race and culture, is inhibiting their capacity to be questioning and act together in a timely way to safeguard and protect children.”