Protection of a child

This is a cruel world and if you are a child and don’t have somebody to protect you then it becomes crueler. But when the supposed protector does not protect you then where do you go from there. I mean if your parents are careless, reckless or for whatever reasons do not attend to their child's needs then where does the child suppose to get protection, loving, nurturing and guidance. I read almost daily about kids being abandoned, killed in murder suicide pacts, become a pawn in the custody battles, neglected by not feeding them properly, physically and sexually abused all because they can't protect themselves properly. It is not only strangers that do these things to them but sometimes the trusted ones like their parents, and (sorry to say) religious leaders have been accused and found guilty of unspeakable acts towards this vulnerable segment of society.

Although the government does all it can to protect children but they government cannot be at everywhere and it has to trust the people to whom the child is given custody of. I get very angry when I hear abuse of kids for no fault of their own. I am really torn between punishing the adults (meaning parents) for their blunders but also on the other hand it directly affects the child if their parents are punished or sent to jail. Other thing is that with strangers, there should be no excuse to let them go lightly and the stiffest possible sentence should be given to them since they deserve no mercy when it comes to hurting the child.