Kate Adie

Somewhere in the twentieth century we stopped regarding children as property and started seeing them as people.

Somewhere in the twentieth century we stopped regarding children as property and started seeing them as people.

Trying to be as positive as he could about it, he said to me, 'I have to tell you, Kate read more

Trying to be as positive as he could about it, he said to me, 'I have to tell you, Kate – it was a Harrods bag'.

Historians say this will lead to civil conflict. It doesn't lead to girls being treasured. It leads to them being read more

Historians say this will lead to civil conflict. It doesn't lead to girls being treasured. It leads to them being traded as commodities and stolen.

I remember she had these long, lovely nails with red varnish, in the middle of this shitty place we were read more

I remember she had these long, lovely nails with red varnish, in the middle of this shitty place we were in!

The superstition was that disability of any sort was the mark of the devil. The phrases are in languages throughout read more

The superstition was that disability of any sort was the mark of the devil. The phrases are in languages throughout Europe: the devil's hoof, the devil's horn mark. It reaches back to early Christianity and the middle ages. Where a child was born out of wedlock, the church cooked up the impression that you'd done something sinful, and something dreadful would result. You will still find, particularly in Greece, people doing a little sign when they see a very badly disabled child – it needs warding off.