Commissioner urges preventive support after shaken baby case exposes gaps for new parents

Children’s right commissioner Elena Pericleous warned on Friday that the recent hospitalisation of a three-month-old infant with shaken baby syndrome has exposed serious gaps in support for new parents, calling for preventive state intervention rather than reliance on criminal prosecution alone.

She said the case highlighted the intense pressure faced by parents after the birth of a child, including anxiety, physical and psychological exhaustion and severe sleep deprivation, factors which can cumulatively lead to a loss of control.