Health expert calls for parents of obese children to be sent to jail

Steve Miller has suggested that parents of obese children be charged with child abuse

Health expert calls for parents of obese children to be sent to jail

by Kayleigh Dray |
Published on

The weight loss campaigner, who hosts TV show Fat Families, has called for the government to bring in a Child Obesity Act.

Steve Miller would want the proposed legislation to send three warnings to parents of morbidly obese children.

If the child’s weight continues to be a health risk, he says, they should be formally prosecuted and sent to jail for up to two years.

His proposed Child Obesity Act could also mean taking morbidly obese children away from their parents and putting them into the care system, where they will be fed a calorie controlled diet.

Speaking with The Daily Star, Steve Miller said: "We need to wake up to the fact that stuffing a little child full of junk food is child abuse, pure and simple.

“Let’s face it underfeeding kids would be deemed a wicked act."

The controversial weight loss campaigner continued: "Childhood obesity is spiralling out of control and like it or lump it we need to address the issue head on to protect our future generations."

Insisting that the legislation is crucial when it comes to protecting future generations, Steve finished: "For too long teachers and the medical profession have pussy footed around the issue out of a fear to offend. Even social workers find it difficult to confront a parent who is over stuffing their child.

"But this reluctance to confront the issue is leading to fatter and fatter children and a bigger and bigger bill for the NHS. We need to get to the root of the problem - the parents. They should know better than to stuff their kids’ faces with junk food and fizzy drinks.

"As a parent they have a responsibility to take the best care they can of their child, if they are making them obese they are endangering their child’s welfare and need to be punished.

"It might sound harsh but obesity is one of the biggest problems facing the NHS and we have to get tough on it as a nation so that we help our kids live a healthy long life."

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