Latest news with #Abiyah
Daily Mail
11-08-2025
- Daily Mail
I thought my 'vegan' sister had stopped posting her toddler on social media for privacy... really he was dead she and her 'religious' husband had buried him in their garden - this is my one regret
The sister of a vegan mother whose obsession with 'clean eating' led to the death of her severely malnourished toddler has revealed her lasting regret. When Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, 43, first met her husband Tai, 42, he was 'really polite' and 'normal', but their relationship would soon spiral out of control with the pair eventually ostracising themselves from society to start their own 'kingdom'. The couple, who were said to be members of an 'obscure religious movement' known as the Royal Ahayah's Witness, lived in squalor. They survived on only fruit, nuts, and seeds and followed their own religion and laws. In the process, they wilfully neglected their three-year-old toddler, Abiyah, by prioritising their 'distorted system beliefs' over his welfare, and failing to provide him with enough food and necessary medical attention. The child died from a a respiratory illness in January 2020, worsened by a 'restricted' vegan diet which caused severe malnutrition, rickets, anaemia and stunted growth. In the wake of his death, the couple kept him in their bed for eight days in the hope he would be reincarnated, before burying him in the garden of their former home in Handsworth, Birmingham. It wouldn't be until almost three years later that his remains would be found by police conducting a welfare check on the couple. In December 2022, the former fitness instructor and medical genetics graduate were arrested while living in a caravan in Somerset, and later sentenced to a total of 44 years behind bars. Now Naiyahmi's sister, Cassie Rowe, 47, tragically revealed she became concerned about her 'lovely' nephew when her sibling, with whom she was estranged, stopped posting the tot on social media. 'I did notice that she'd stopped posting Abiyah on social media, but I just assumed that it was to do with not wanting [him] on social media anymore,' Cassie told the Daily Mail. However, despite attempting to rationalise her worries, she did discuss her concerns with her mother, who she suggested should reach out to Naiyahmi. Cassie, who is now raising money through GoFundMe to give her nephew the send off he deserves, says she didn't want to contact her sister, or be 'dragged in' to her sister's turbulent relationship once again. She said she had having previously attempted to help her sister raise Abiyah as a single mother - which she says was a difficult time. 'I'm very empathetic and I [would] just get dragged back in, and I didn't want to. I was dealing with my own health issues at the time. 'I just think my sister had messed us about so many times, everybody was just kind of fed up with her at this point and nobody wanted to get involved.' 'Obviously, had we known this was gonna happen... it's just something that you don't expect to ever happen.' In 2021, around the same time, Cassie had also posted of her own health woes to which her sister responded. But by this point, unbeknownst to Cassie, her family, as well as officials, Abiyah was already dead. 'She was asking me about my health issues and I was just saying to her that I was fine, I was seeing the doctors and that I had been given medication. 'She started telling me that she was going through some health issues and it was some spiritual thing, but that was after Abiyah had died. 'I didn't know when she reached out to me. 'I've looked back through all through like my communication with her and I'm like, but, she'd spoken to me after he died and she said nothing.' However, when reflecting on the series of events that lead up to her nephew's death, there was also another regret plaguing her mind in the midst of her grief. After Abiyah was born, Naiyahmi had been living with her family for around a year, as her marriage became strained. The couple rekindled their relationship at Abiyah's first birthday - an invitation Cassie continues to regret being extended. 'We had Abiya's first birthday party and after that, that's when it all went down him again because I'd let her invite his dad to the birthday party,' she said. 'I was trying to do the right thing.' When the Yasharahyalahs initially began dating at the beginning of 2015, Naiyahmi had been a devout Christian for some time, and Taj, according to Cassie, seemed 'very polite' and 'normal'. But Naiyahmi's family quickly became concerned when they began to see Facebook posts from the pair announcing they were a part of another 'niche religious group'. And within months of meeting her soon-to-be husband, Naiyahmi became estranged from her family. 'We started seeing posts on, on social media where they were denouncing the Western world, and they didn't agree with interracial relationships,' Cassie said. 'I think that's what caused the problem with us as a family because we're quite diverse. 'We've all got mixed race children, so it was a bit of a shock, and we didn't attend the wedding.' 'Obviously, I was concerned because this is my sister and we tried to intervene, but she just kind of pushed us all away. 'She was just like, "No, I'm marrying him and that's it".' 2022: The couple were arrested on 9 December 2022 while living in a caravan in Glastonbury and Abiyah was finally found five days later Speaking of her sister's personality, Cassie added: 'She's always been a bit different. 'I've seen her in relationships where she's completely changed her whole personality. So for me it wasn't, it wasn't anything new. 'To see her following somebody else I was like, "Oh, there, there she goes again," - but I didn't expect it to go as far as it did.' Reflecting on Naiyahmi relationship with her husband, she said: 'I know why she was doing it. He made her feel special and that's what she always looked for. 'He was heavily into being proud to be black, and being proud of African heritage, and so, I think that made her feel beautiful as well.' In 2016, Naiyahmi arrived at her family's doorstep heavily pregnant and 'shockingly thin' to the point of malnutrition. She told her family her husband had sent her home due to a falling out, and because he had 'some of his god's work to do' 'I was angry at him and I was angry at her as well because I've children and I do everything to make sure they're healthy and they're safe. 'I kind of had a go at her a little bit. I was like, "I know they are your beliefs, but they have I got you into this position". 'And she was just reciting scriptures and things. It was almost like she was there but not there. 'She was just smiling at me and I'm thinking, "Where is my sister gone this isn't my sister".' Following Abiyah's birth Naiyahmi stayed with family for around a year, and in that time spent half a year with Cassie, who supported her as a single mother. Speaking of her sister's time back with the family, she said: 'She was a doting mother, I'd even say that she was overprotective. 'She was still vegan, but they were eating a good diet and she's started wearing makeup again she took her headscarf off. 'She was going to playgroups, she'd come out with me and my friends. She never left [Abiyah] with anybody.' Despite her progress, Naiyahmi eventually rekindled her relationship with her husband after Abiyah's first birthday. In turn, Cassie's and her sister's relationship began to become 'strained' while they lived together. And, without much announcement, Naiyahmi moved out of her sister's home to the property in Handsworth, where three-year-old Abiyah would eventually be buried. From then on, Naiyahmi had cut off her family, and had not been in touch with her sister beyond one message out of the blue concerning health troubles. The next time Cassie would be informed about her sister would be in relation to Abiyah's remains being discovered in 2022. She was the first in the family to be told by police about her nephew's death. 'I don't think it really sank in straight away,' she said. 'The family were all trying to figure out what had happened, and it was difficult 'We fell out as a family because some people were sympathising and there was others who were just like, "No she's done wrong". 'So, it's been very difficult to to navigate because how do you navigate something like this - that's happened to a family member by another family member.' Now, the family are trying to raise funds via GoFundMe so little Abiyah can have a headstone, so they have 'something that lasts' to remember him by, and a place to mourn. 'He was a very timid, and just a lovely child. I just want something that reflects who he was in the short time that he was on this earth,' Cassie said.
Leader Live
04-06-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
Boy, three, starved to death by parents ‘had become invisible to authorities'
Abiyah Yasharahyalah died in early 2020 from a respiratory illness, worsened by a 'restricted' vegan diet which caused severe malnourishment, rickets, anaemia and stunted growth. A review into his family's contact with authorities has found there was a lack of curiosity about how his parents' culture and lifestyle might have impacted on his wellbeing, warning that 'the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount'. Abiyah's parents, Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, aged 42 and 43, were handed lengthy jail terms in December with a judge saying they had both 'played a part in starving' their son when it would have been obvious he needed medical care. London-born Tai, a medical genetics graduate who also used the first name Tai-Zamarai, and former shop worker Naiyahmi shunned mainstream society and left Abiyah's body buried at their property in Handsworth, Birmingham, when they were evicted in March 2022. A two-month trial at Coventry Crown Court last year heard the couple had 'invented' a belief system featuring aspects of Igbo culture that Tai, who grew up in both Nigeria and Peckham in south-east London, adapted to form a legal system he called 'slick law'. The court heard that they lived off the generosity of others, occupying at one point a shipping container and at another a caravan in the Somerset area. A local child safeguarding practice review, published on Wednesday, noted that Abiyah 'was only ever seen by a small number of professionals during his lifetime, and for a limited time only'. According to records, he was seen by a health visitor in April 2016 shortly after his birth, and the following month for a check-up. There was some contact in 2018 with a local authority social worker in London and four visits to a children's centre in Birmingham, but the review said: 'Records of these contacts and interactions are very limited, reinforcing that there was very little insight into (Abiyah's) existence, health or welfare.' Abiyah's parents' trial heard police visited the Clarence Road property in Handsworth three times, including in February 2018 when Abiyah was alive. The review stated that with regard to this visit 'no details were recorded' about Abiyah, with his presence 'almost invisible on review of records'. Elsewhere, the review noted 'no exploration or curiosity' from the health visiting service, run by Birmingham Community Health Care NHS Foundation Trust, about Abiyah's mother's desire for a home birth with no medical intervention. In March 2020, health visitor records said it had been noted at a safeguarding meeting that Abiyah had not been seen by them since his six-week assessment, with appointments at the one and two-year marks since his birth not attended. He had also not received any routine immunisations. While a follow-up inquiry was planned, there was no record of why it never happened, although the review stated that the coronavirus lockdown which began that year likely contributed. The various authorities coming into contact with the child's family showed a 'general lack of knowledge or assessment of the parents' belief systems', leading to an 'insufficient understanding about the impact on his care, the review said. It added that his parents' behaviour 'often distracted or diverted professional attention' away from his safety and welfare. The review stated: 'Parental resistance of advice, support or authority ultimately resulted in (Abiyah) becoming invisible and lost from professional view.' The report included reflections that while social workers had been aware of the family's culture and parents' beliefs and lifestyle, they appeared not to have considered 'with detailed curiosity' the impact on Abiyah's safety and wellbeing, 'such as if indeed his overall needs were being met'. The review, published by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership, warned that while navigating race, ethnicity, culture and beliefs 'can be challenging' for those working in child safeguarding, there is a need for them to be 'confident to ask questions about different cultures and belief systems without fear of being perceived as discriminatory'. Report author Kevin Ball added: 'If any family engages in cultural practices which are harmful to children, this must not be overlooked, and the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount.' Abiyah's mother opted to take part in the review, stating she had believed she was 'doing the right thing at the time' for her son based on her cultural beliefs but that she now wished she had done more research about diet and healthcare. She said it was 'hard to accept that my approach did not lead to the best outcomes for my child and that it took the court process to take me out of that bubble'. Among its recommendations, the review said workforce guidance should be looked at to ensure it 'supports effective assessment and intervention which safeguards those children that become hidden from professional sight and/or when parents choose to live an alternative, or more off-grid lifestyle'. Annie Hudson, Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, said the case raised 'very serious questions' about local and national safeguarding systems. She added: 'The local child safeguarding review published today highlights important learning, including about how Abiyah became invisible and lost from the view and oversight of professionals. It evidences strongly the paramount importance of understanding what life is like for children, and not being distracted or diverted away by parental behaviour when considering children's safety and welfare. 'It is important to respect parents' faith and beliefs. However, as this review highlights, professionals must always be mindful of whether their views about parents, including their faith, race and culture, is inhibiting their capacity to be questioning and act together in a timely way to safeguard and protect children.' Partnership co-chairs James Thomas and Sue Harrison said: 'Protecting children out of professional sight is a real challenge, given the limits of statutory powers to ensure all children are regularly seen. Our partnership has made this one of our top strategic priorities to ensure that we do everything we possibly can to identify risk to those children who are out of sight.' Abiyah's parents were arrested on December 9 2022, leading to the discovery of their son's body five days later. Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah were sentenced to 24 and a half years and 19 and a half years, respectively, having been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, causing or allowing the death of a child, and child neglect.
South Wales Guardian
04-06-2025
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Boy, three, starved to death by parents ‘had become invisible to authorities'
Abiyah Yasharahyalah died in early 2020 from a respiratory illness, worsened by a 'restricted' vegan diet which caused severe malnourishment, rickets, anaemia and stunted growth. A review into his family's contact with authorities has found there was a lack of curiosity about how his parents' culture and lifestyle might have impacted on his wellbeing, warning that 'the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount'. Abiyah's parents, Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, aged 42 and 43, were handed lengthy jail terms in December with a judge saying they had both 'played a part in starving' their son when it would have been obvious he needed medical care. London-born Tai, a medical genetics graduate who also used the first name Tai-Zamarai, and former shop worker Naiyahmi shunned mainstream society and left Abiyah's body buried at their property in Handsworth, Birmingham, when they were evicted in March 2022. A two-month trial at Coventry Crown Court last year heard the couple had 'invented' a belief system featuring aspects of Igbo culture that Tai, who grew up in both Nigeria and Peckham in south-east London, adapted to form a legal system he called 'slick law'. The court heard that they lived off the generosity of others, occupying at one point a shipping container and at another a caravan in the Somerset area. A local child safeguarding practice review, published on Wednesday, noted that Abiyah 'was only ever seen by a small number of professionals during his lifetime, and for a limited time only'. According to records, he was seen by a health visitor in April 2016 shortly after his birth, and the following month for a check-up. There was some contact in 2018 with a local authority social worker in London and four visits to a children's centre in Birmingham, but the review said: 'Records of these contacts and interactions are very limited, reinforcing that there was very little insight into (Abiyah's) existence, health or welfare.' Abiyah's parents' trial heard police visited the Clarence Road property in Handsworth three times, including in February 2018 when Abiyah was alive. The review stated that with regard to this visit 'no details were recorded' about Abiyah, with his presence 'almost invisible on review of records'. Elsewhere, the review noted 'no exploration or curiosity' from the health visiting service, run by Birmingham Community Health Care NHS Foundation Trust, about Abiyah's mother's desire for a home birth with no medical intervention. In March 2020, health visitor records said it had been noted at a safeguarding meeting that Abiyah had not been seen by them since his six-week assessment, with appointments at the one and two-year marks since his birth not attended. He had also not received any routine immunisations. While a follow-up inquiry was planned, there was no record of why it never happened, although the review stated that the coronavirus lockdown which began that year likely contributed. The various authorities coming into contact with the child's family showed a 'general lack of knowledge or assessment of the parents' belief systems', leading to an 'insufficient understanding about the impact on his care, the review said. It added that his parents' behaviour 'often distracted or diverted professional attention' away from his safety and welfare. The review stated: 'Parental resistance of advice, support or authority ultimately resulted in (Abiyah) becoming invisible and lost from professional view.' The report included reflections that while social workers had been aware of the family's culture and parents' beliefs and lifestyle, they appeared not to have considered 'with detailed curiosity' the impact on Abiyah's safety and wellbeing, 'such as if indeed his overall needs were being met'. The review, published by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership, warned that while navigating race, ethnicity, culture and beliefs 'can be challenging' for those working in child safeguarding, there is a need for them to be 'confident to ask questions about different cultures and belief systems without fear of being perceived as discriminatory'. Report author Kevin Ball added: 'If any family engages in cultural practices which are harmful to children, this must not be overlooked, and the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount.' Abiyah's mother opted to take part in the review, stating she had believed she was 'doing the right thing at the time' for her son based on her cultural beliefs but that she now wished she had done more research about diet and healthcare. She said it was 'hard to accept that my approach did not lead to the best outcomes for my child and that it took the court process to take me out of that bubble'. Among its recommendations, the review said workforce guidance should be looked at to ensure it 'supports effective assessment and intervention which safeguards those children that become hidden from professional sight and/or when parents choose to live an alternative, or more off-grid lifestyle'. Annie Hudson, Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, said the case raised 'very serious questions' about local and national safeguarding systems. She added: 'The local child safeguarding review published today highlights important learning, including about how Abiyah became invisible and lost from the view and oversight of professionals. It evidences strongly the paramount importance of understanding what life is like for children, and not being distracted or diverted away by parental behaviour when considering children's safety and welfare. 'It is important to respect parents' faith and beliefs. However, as this review highlights, professionals must always be mindful of whether their views about parents, including their faith, race and culture, is inhibiting their capacity to be questioning and act together in a timely way to safeguard and protect children.' Partnership co-chairs James Thomas and Sue Harrison said: 'Protecting children out of professional sight is a real challenge, given the limits of statutory powers to ensure all children are regularly seen. Our partnership has made this one of our top strategic priorities to ensure that we do everything we possibly can to identify risk to those children who are out of sight.' Abiyah's parents were arrested on December 9 2022, leading to the discovery of their son's body five days later. Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah were sentenced to 24 and a half years and 19 and a half years, respectively, having been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, causing or allowing the death of a child, and child neglect.
Glasgow Times
04-06-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Boy, three, starved to death by parents ‘had become invisible to authorities'
Abiyah Yasharahyalah died in early 2020 from a respiratory illness, worsened by a 'restricted' vegan diet which caused severe malnourishment, rickets, anaemia and stunted growth. A review into his family's contact with authorities has found there was a lack of curiosity about how his parents' culture and lifestyle might have impacted on his wellbeing, warning that 'the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount'. Naiyahmi (left) and Tai Yasharahyalah outside Coventry Crown Court (Matthew Cooper/PA) Abiyah's parents, Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, aged 42 and 43, were handed lengthy jail terms in December with a judge saying they had both 'played a part in starving' their son when it would have been obvious he needed medical care. London-born Tai, a medical genetics graduate who also used the first name Tai-Zamarai, and former shop worker Naiyahmi shunned mainstream society and left Abiyah's body buried at their property in Handsworth, Birmingham, when they were evicted in March 2022. A two-month trial at Coventry Crown Court last year heard the couple had 'invented' a belief system featuring aspects of Igbo culture that Tai, who grew up in both Nigeria and Peckham in south-east London, adapted to form a legal system he called 'slick law'. The court heard that they lived off the generosity of others, occupying at one point a shipping container and at another a caravan in the Somerset area. A local child safeguarding practice review, published on Wednesday, noted that Abiyah 'was only ever seen by a small number of professionals during his lifetime, and for a limited time only'. According to records, he was seen by a health visitor in April 2016 shortly after his birth, and the following month for a check-up. There was some contact in 2018 with a local authority social worker in London and four visits to a children's centre in Birmingham, but the review said: 'Records of these contacts and interactions are very limited, reinforcing that there was very little insight into (Abiyah's) existence, health or welfare.' Abiyah's parents' trial heard police visited the Clarence Road property in Handsworth three times, including in February 2018 when Abiyah was alive. The review stated that with regard to this visit 'no details were recorded' about Abiyah, with his presence 'almost invisible on review of records'. Elsewhere, the review noted 'no exploration or curiosity' from the health visiting service, run by Birmingham Community Health Care NHS Foundation Trust, about Abiyah's mother's desire for a home birth with no medical intervention. In March 2020, health visitor records said it had been noted at a safeguarding meeting that Abiyah had not been seen by them since his six-week assessment, with appointments at the one and two-year marks since his birth not attended. He had also not received any routine immunisations. While a follow-up inquiry was planned, there was no record of why it never happened, although the review stated that the coronavirus lockdown which began that year likely contributed. The various authorities coming into contact with the child's family showed a 'general lack of knowledge or assessment of the parents' belief systems', leading to an 'insufficient understanding about the impact on his care, the review said. It added that his parents' behaviour 'often distracted or diverted professional attention' away from his safety and welfare. The review stated: 'Parental resistance of advice, support or authority ultimately resulted in (Abiyah) becoming invisible and lost from professional view.' The report included reflections that while social workers had been aware of the family's culture and parents' beliefs and lifestyle, they appeared not to have considered 'with detailed curiosity' the impact on Abiyah's safety and wellbeing, 'such as if indeed his overall needs were being met'. The review, published by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership, warned that while navigating race, ethnicity, culture and beliefs 'can be challenging' for those working in child safeguarding, there is a need for them to be 'confident to ask questions about different cultures and belief systems without fear of being perceived as discriminatory'. Report author Kevin Ball added: 'If any family engages in cultural practices which are harmful to children, this must not be overlooked, and the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount.' Abiyah's mother opted to take part in the review, stating she had believed she was 'doing the right thing at the time' for her son based on her cultural beliefs but that she now wished she had done more research about diet and healthcare. She said it was 'hard to accept that my approach did not lead to the best outcomes for my child and that it took the court process to take me out of that bubble'. Among its recommendations, the review said workforce guidance should be looked at to ensure it 'supports effective assessment and intervention which safeguards those children that become hidden from professional sight and/or when parents choose to live an alternative, or more off-grid lifestyle'. Annie Hudson, Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, said the case raised 'very serious questions' about local and national safeguarding systems. She added: 'The local child safeguarding review published today highlights important learning, including about how Abiyah became invisible and lost from the view and oversight of professionals. It evidences strongly the paramount importance of understanding what life is like for children, and not being distracted or diverted away by parental behaviour when considering children's safety and welfare. 'It is important to respect parents' faith and beliefs. However, as this review highlights, professionals must always be mindful of whether their views about parents, including their faith, race and culture, is inhibiting their capacity to be questioning and act together in a timely way to safeguard and protect children.' Partnership co-chairs James Thomas and Sue Harrison said: 'Protecting children out of professional sight is a real challenge, given the limits of statutory powers to ensure all children are regularly seen. Our partnership has made this one of our top strategic priorities to ensure that we do everything we possibly can to identify risk to those children who are out of sight.' Abiyah's parents were arrested on December 9 2022, leading to the discovery of their son's body five days later. Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah were sentenced to 24 and a half years and 19 and a half years, respectively, having been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, causing or allowing the death of a child, and child neglect.
Powys County Times
04-06-2025
- Health
- Powys County Times
Boy, three, starved to death by parents ‘had become invisible to authorities'
A three-year-old boy who was starved by his parents and buried in a garden became 'invisible and lost' from the sight of child services early in his life, a review has concluded. Abiyah Yasharahyalah died in early 2020 from a respiratory illness, worsened by a 'restricted' vegan diet which caused severe malnourishment, rickets, anaemia and stunted growth. A review into his family's contact with authorities has found there was a lack of curiosity about how his parents' culture and lifestyle might have impacted on his wellbeing, warning that 'the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount'. Abiyah's parents, Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah, aged 42 and 43, were handed lengthy jail terms in December with a judge saying they had both 'played a part in starving' their son when it would have been obvious he needed medical care. London-born Tai, a medical genetics graduate who also used the first name Tai-Zamarai, and former shop worker Naiyahmi shunned mainstream society and left Abiyah's body buried at their property in Handsworth, Birmingham, when they were evicted in March 2022. A two-month trial at Coventry Crown Court last year heard the couple had 'invented' a belief system featuring aspects of Igbo culture that Tai, who grew up in both Nigeria and Peckham in south-east London, adapted to form a legal system he called 'slick law'. The court heard that they lived off the generosity of others, occupying at one point a shipping container and at another a caravan in the Somerset area. A local child safeguarding practice review, published on Wednesday, noted that Abiyah 'was only ever seen by a small number of professionals during his lifetime, and for a limited time only'. According to records, he was seen by a health visitor in April 2016 shortly after his birth, and the following month for a check-up. There was some contact in 2018 with a local authority social worker in London and four visits to a children's centre in Birmingham, but the review said: 'Records of these contacts and interactions are very limited, reinforcing that there was very little insight into (Abiyah's) existence, health or welfare.' Abiyah's parents' trial heard police visited the Clarence Road property in Handsworth three times, including in February 2018 when Abiyah was alive. The review stated that with regard to this visit 'no details were recorded' about Abiyah, with his presence 'almost invisible on review of records'. Elsewhere, the review noted 'no exploration or curiosity' from the health visiting service, run by Birmingham Community Health Care NHS Foundation Trust, about Abiyah's mother's desire for a home birth with no medical intervention. In March 2020, health visitor records said it had been noted at a safeguarding meeting that Abiyah had not been seen by them since his six-week assessment, with appointments at the one and two-year marks since his birth not attended. He had also not received any routine immunisations. While a follow-up inquiry was planned, there was no record of why it never happened, although the review stated that the coronavirus lockdown which began that year likely contributed. The various authorities coming into contact with the child's family showed a 'general lack of knowledge or assessment of the parents' belief systems', leading to an 'insufficient understanding about the impact on his care, the review said. It added that his parents' behaviour 'often distracted or diverted professional attention' away from his safety and welfare. The review stated: 'Parental resistance of advice, support or authority ultimately resulted in (Abiyah) becoming invisible and lost from professional view.' The report included reflections that while social workers had been aware of the family's culture and parents' beliefs and lifestyle, they appeared not to have considered 'with detailed curiosity' the impact on Abiyah's safety and wellbeing, 'such as if indeed his overall needs were being met'. The review, published by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership, warned that while navigating race, ethnicity, culture and beliefs 'can be challenging' for those working in child safeguarding, there is a need for them to be 'confident to ask questions about different cultures and belief systems without fear of being perceived as discriminatory'. Report author Kevin Ball added: 'If any family engages in cultural practices which are harmful to children, this must not be overlooked, and the safeguarding of children being impacted by harmful cultural practice is paramount.' Abiyah's mother opted to take part in the review, stating she had believed she was 'doing the right thing at the time' for her son based on her cultural beliefs but that she now wished she had done more research about diet and healthcare. She said it was 'hard to accept that my approach did not lead to the best outcomes for my child and that it took the court process to take me out of that bubble'. Among its recommendations, the review said workforce guidance should be looked at to ensure it 'supports effective assessment and intervention which safeguards those children that become hidden from professional sight and/or when parents choose to live an alternative, or more off-grid lifestyle'. Annie Hudson, Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, said the case raised 'very serious questions' about local and national safeguarding systems. She added: 'The local child safeguarding review published today highlights important learning, including about how Abiyah became invisible and lost from the view and oversight of professionals. It evidences strongly the paramount importance of understanding what life is like for children, and not being distracted or diverted away by parental behaviour when considering children's safety and welfare. 'It is important to respect parents' faith and beliefs. However, as this review highlights, professionals must always be mindful of whether their views about parents, including their faith, race and culture, is inhibiting their capacity to be questioning and act together in a timely way to safeguard and protect children.' Partnership co-chairs James Thomas and Sue Harrison said: 'Protecting children out of professional sight is a real challenge, given the limits of statutory powers to ensure all children are regularly seen. Our partnership has made this one of our top strategic priorities to ensure that we do everything we possibly can to identify risk to those children who are out of sight.' Abiyah's parents were arrested on December 9 2022, leading to the discovery of their son's body five days later. Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah were sentenced to 24 and a half years and 19 and a half years, respectively, having been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, causing or allowing the death of a child, and child neglect.
