I'll have to ponder all that for a bit - my mental digestion gets slower as I get older. :) Much of what you say resonates with me. I do, however, strongly think that there are "rights," by any term one wishes to use. The inalienable right, claim (whatever word you want) to life, liberty and property is the basis of our non-aggression principle. If we have no legitimate claim to self ownership, then all bets are off as far as I'm concerned.

Thinking of all this further overnight, I realize that the conflict is with my overwhelming conviction of the wrongness of any aggression, and the equally total wrongness of what I believe is happening to this little girl. And I only have some fairly specific hints (from her) and observations to go on - nothing that would stand up as hard evidence.

I'm just a neighbor, and not involved in the family beyond friendship with the child (who is 12, if that matters).

So, how do I obtain better evidence without aggression? By what criteria do I decide how, when and even if to intervene? And how do I intervene? Call the police? I don't think so, as that would do as much damage in the long run to this child as anything else going on.

What a mess.