President Donald Trump mocked teen climate activist Greta Thunberg on Twitter on Thursday after she was named Time magazine's Person of the Year, calling her win "ridiculous" and suggesting she take anger management classes.
"So ridiculous," Trump tweeted. "Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!"
Trump, who was Time's Person of the Year in 2016, was a finalist for the 2019 nomination.
Thunberg soon updated her Twitter bio to reflect Trump's comment, writing: "A teenager working on her anger management problem."
"Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend," she added.
The president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., also weighed in on Thunberg's selection, blasting the magazine's decision.
"Time leaves out the Hong Kong Protesters fighting for their lives and freedoms to push a teen being used as a marketing gimmick," he wrote. "How dare you?"
It was not the first time the president has made a mention of Thunberg.
In September, after she made an emotional speech at the United Nations, Trump appeared to mock the 16-year-old by tweeting that she "seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!”
Thunberg did not respond directly to the president but hours later updated her Twitter bio to mimic his tweet.
Thunberg, who has Asperger’s syndrome, was asked to speak on climate change in front of several high-profile entities, such as the United Nations and Congress.
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"I shouldn't be up here," she said in her September U.N. speech.
"I should be back at school on the other side of the ocean," the teen from Sweden said. "Yet, you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words."
Democrats responded to Trump's barb throughout the day, criticizing him for taking aim at the teenager.
"What kind of president bullies a teenager?" tweeted former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading 2020 Democratic contender, adding that Trump "could learn a few things from Greta on what it means to be a leader."
"Does the President really not have anything better to do today than attack a 16 year old?" tweeted Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.
Trump's tweet even came up at Thursday's House Judiciary Committee markup of the articles of impeachment against the president.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., mentioned Trump's mocking of Thunberg while listing individuals who Trump has blasted.
"Are you here to defend that as well?" Jeffries asked Republicans of Trump's post.
- nbc news Trump mocks Greta Thunberg after she wins Time Person of the Year
Child victims of violent and sexual crimes are not being taken seriously when they report offences, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales has said.
In a review into young victims of crime, Lady Newlove says children who seek help from criminal justice agencies are often not believed, made to feel like criminals and accused of wasting police time.
The report, published on Wednesday, concludes that despite high-profile inquiries into child abuse in Rotherham and the Jimmy Savile scandal “lessons are still not being learnt about believing young victims”.
Newlove said: “These children and young victims feel let down by the system that is meant to protect them. It is time attitudes towards them were changed.
“I want to see agencies working together to make sure young and vulnerable victims feel supported through the criminal justice process. They deserve to be taken seriously, for their allegations to be thoroughly investigated and to be treated with dignity and respect.”
The review examined the cases of 12 girls aged between nine and 17, interviewing the victims or their parents. Complaints included that they were not taken seriously because of their age and not kept updated about their case.
Several girls said they felt like the criminal while being interviewed. One described it as being like “a test subject, a monkey in a cage to be prodded”, and another said she was “told it was my fault and I was being stupid”.
As a result of their treatment and the lack of a conviction, some said they had lost faith in the criminal justice system.
One girl who gave evidence in court said she was allowed to do so behind a screen so that she did not have to face the offender but that he was still in the courtroom and saw her when she came out.
A rape victim said she was interviewed by male officers on three separate occasions, despite asking for a female officer each time.
It was not just the police and lawyers who came in for criticism. Victims also complained that social workers, teachers and society as a whole did not believe them.
Newlove recommends that criminal justice agencies should review policies and procedures in relation to childhood victims, monitor their satisfaction and have a single point of contact for them. She also urges the judiciary to ensure defence barristers adhere to practice directions when questioning vulnerable victims.
The report coincides with publication of the first draft guidance drawn up by the health regulator aimed at helping professionals working with children outside health settings to spot abuse or neglect.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) guidelines, which have gone out for consultation, advise the likes of teachers and police officers that tantrums, excessive clinginess and being withdrawn are possible signs of abuse or neglect in children, particularly if they are out of character. But it also urges professionals to use their judgment and experience rather than rely on formal protocol.
The Nice deputy chief executive, Prof Gillian Leng, said: “We want all professionals to be aware and recognise when they need to ask questions or follow up with colleagues about a child’s wellbeing. Not all cases will cause concern but if we do not ask, we may miss opportunities to protect children in their time of need.
- The Guardian Child victims of violent and sexual crimes 'not being taken seriously'
ALWAYS take kids seriously! They’re people who deserve personal respect.
Now, this doesn’t mean you automatically believe everything they say and buy into their ideas. You wouldn’t do that with another adult either, I should hope.
If a child states as factual something you find dubious, ask, “What makes you think that?” - Ask seriously and listen seriously. If you think the child mis-understood something, suggest that possibility and ask if he or she thinks that could be the case.
My son was very level headed even as a little kid. If he said there was a problem, there was a problem, I jumped on it. Either there really was something I needed to attend to or I could see why he thought there was a problem and I could show him why it wasn’t really a problem - and I still thanked him for bringing the matter to my attention - better safe than sorry. He learned quickly to analyze situations and act appropriately. I could safely leave him (but not his sister) home alone for a couple of hours when he was 9. By the time he learned to drive, I could trust him absolutely to be responsible behind the wheel. When he was 18 he moved out, confident that he could handle himself.
- Mark Harrison Quora Discussion