kontulib
November 14th, 2002, 02:06 PM
Drunk men abuse small child on public bus in Helsinki
Bus driver Oiva Säkkinen, who has only recently moved to Helsinki, had an unpleasant shift last Saturday. The events began when two men and a small child in a stroller boarded Säkkinen’s bus on route 42 in the Kannelmäki district.
The temperature was over fifteen degrees below freezing, but the child, an 18-month-old girl, was lightly dressed and she was crying already when they boarded. The men were completely drunk, and they had more alcoholic beverages stashed away in the stroller. Säkkinen deduced that the duo’s Saturday night celebrations were only just beginning.
“First the men asked where the bus was headed. Then they almost forgot the baby at the stop. The other one suddenly noticed what was happening and said that they cannot really leave her there, can they”, Säkkinen recounts the beginning of their journey.
“It was a horrible situation. After all, the child was absolutely helpless.”
As the little girl continued to cry on the bus, the men yelled at her to shut up. Säkkinen could see in his mirror how the men slapped the girl around the face with their caps and tried to cover her mouth to stop the screaming. “I was very concerned”, he recalls.
There were some fifteen passengers on the bus – including a few strong-looking men – but no one intervened in the events. Finally, when the bus was driving in the Ruskeasuo district, one woman had had enough and went up to Säkkinen to complain. By that time, Säkkinen had already grabbed his mobile phone and was calling the police for assistance.
The police met the bus in downtown Helsinki. The squad took the trio along, and a social worker was also called to the scene. The child was handed over to the social welfare authorities at around seven p.m.
At least on Monday, the matter was not yet being investigated as a crime. The other man is most likely the girl’s father. The girl was returned to her mother and the father spent the night in lockup.
Bus driver Säkkinen is amazed at the indifference of the bystanders. “Only one of the passengers reacted to what was going on. Usually people are self-centered and do not intervene in other people’s affairs, no matter what happens on the bus.”
Bus driver Oiva Säkkinen, who has only recently moved to Helsinki, had an unpleasant shift last Saturday. The events began when two men and a small child in a stroller boarded Säkkinen’s bus on route 42 in the Kannelmäki district.
The temperature was over fifteen degrees below freezing, but the child, an 18-month-old girl, was lightly dressed and she was crying already when they boarded. The men were completely drunk, and they had more alcoholic beverages stashed away in the stroller. Säkkinen deduced that the duo’s Saturday night celebrations were only just beginning.
“First the men asked where the bus was headed. Then they almost forgot the baby at the stop. The other one suddenly noticed what was happening and said that they cannot really leave her there, can they”, Säkkinen recounts the beginning of their journey.
“It was a horrible situation. After all, the child was absolutely helpless.”
As the little girl continued to cry on the bus, the men yelled at her to shut up. Säkkinen could see in his mirror how the men slapped the girl around the face with their caps and tried to cover her mouth to stop the screaming. “I was very concerned”, he recalls.
There were some fifteen passengers on the bus – including a few strong-looking men – but no one intervened in the events. Finally, when the bus was driving in the Ruskeasuo district, one woman had had enough and went up to Säkkinen to complain. By that time, Säkkinen had already grabbed his mobile phone and was calling the police for assistance.
The police met the bus in downtown Helsinki. The squad took the trio along, and a social worker was also called to the scene. The child was handed over to the social welfare authorities at around seven p.m.
At least on Monday, the matter was not yet being investigated as a crime. The other man is most likely the girl’s father. The girl was returned to her mother and the father spent the night in lockup.
Bus driver Säkkinen is amazed at the indifference of the bystanders. “Only one of the passengers reacted to what was going on. Usually people are self-centered and do not intervene in other people’s affairs, no matter what happens on the bus.”