The justice system has thus far provided some measure of satisfaction for those who have waited to bring closure to the horrific brutality of Saed Young's death.

Two years is far too long to wait for such a case to come to court. As we await the sentencing (of Sharina Tuzo and Jermaine Pearman), let us stop for a moment, and ask ourselves as a community "what does it take to create members of society so damaged, sick and violent that one is so capable of committing such atrocities and the other able to stand by and say nothing''? Baby Saed is dead, but how many of our children have survived similar combinations of abuse and neglect? In our collective grief and even our rage let us bear in mind that wounded people are the most likely to wound others -- and the deeper the emotional and physical scars the more capacity for harm remains within.

We know there are direct links between early childhood abuse, neglect or trauma and later violent behaviour. We also know that women who grow up in circumstances like this seek out men who repeat that cycle, and these women are less likely to protect their children than other women. These are facts.

This does not justify the horrific acts and omissions here, but it broadens the culpability to encompass all of us who fail to intervene when we see or hear a child in pain or danger.

Punishment or further emotional trauma will not alter this cycle. It will be broken when we all come together and recognise our interconnectedness. The realisation that when one of us is hurting, we all hurt, will help us find our way to healing.

If we can go to our hearts and find that place of compassion, we can reach out to support those around us who in their difficulties may hurt others as well.

Somewhere out there in our community there are many people as damaged and capable of violence or neglect as this young couple. They need our support -- and the children who cross their paths or who live under their roofs need protection.

As far as this young couple is concerned, a great deal of work lies ahead if they are to be restored to a place that they can be trusted again.

Although Pearman has been held in prison awaiting Tuzo's trail, remand prisoners do not receive treatment, so whatever sentence is handed down must bear in mind that a long period of rehabilitation will be necessary.

We now have a record, seven people in five years who have been convicted for the manslaughter or murder of a child in our midst. If we adjust for the size of our population, we come close to leading the Western world in this the most serious form of child maltreatment. There is something about our culture that has allowed this type of extreme violence to continue to be perpetrated or ignored.

The dynamics of the relationship between this young couple that led to the battery and neglect of this child are all too common for this community. In my experience at the Coalition for the Protection of Children, the pattern in which a woman ignores all manner of abuse (both physical and sexual) in order to hold on to a relationship occurs more often than anyone would care to admit.

If you look at the histories of these women you will find almost without fail that they have sought an abusive environment that mirrors the one they experienced as a child.

We estimate that there are more than 2,000 cases a year in Bermuda in which children are either witness to, or victims of this kind of domestic violence.

Boys in these situations often grow up to abuse and the girls grow up to accept this victimisation as part of life. This situation is made worse by the total lack of affordable housing options that would allow women to escape abusive relationships.

This was the case for the mother of Saed and similar circumstances will be repeated until we address this shortage.

So, where do we go from here? I believe now is the time to re-visit the task force report on Child Abuse and put new energy into following its recommendations.

In memory of Saed let us commit ourselves -- as a community -- to protect each and every child. Our intervention can be in the form of a helping hand to a distraught mother, or a gentle word when you see frustration building and the stress levels begin to soar, or we may be have to be bold and intervene directly or even call 911 if necessary.

As for ourselves, we all have those moments when we too could strike out in anger... let the little face of Saed be with us to help us take that extra deep breath, return to our hearts and remember how powerful a force love can be.

Sheelagh Cooper