Guests Shocked at Rampant “Child Abuse” at Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort are known to be magical havens for Disney adults, children, and families alike. But sometimes, things can occur that are a far cry from what the Disney Parks are known to be and were designed to be when Walt Disney first envisioned them back in the day. The truth is while the rides and attractions at either Disney Resort are wonderful, and the Disney Cast Members are the heart of the Disney experience, a Disney vacation can also be made by Guest behavior. And that can sometimes go terribly awry.

However, what is most horrifying out of all these experiences is when Guests see children being abused and hurt by parents or adults in the Disney Parks. Recently, Disney Guest u/throwawayepcot2023 “Saw 6 year old writhing in pain in bathroom as mother slapped her multiple times,” and detailed the story.

The Guest shared that they heard the girl screaming in the neighboring bathroom stall, and so looked over the top to see the mom slapping the girl repeatedly. When the Guest told the mom to stop, the mother reportedly started yelling at the Guest. The OP then approached Disney security to step in but was “disheartened by their response.” The OP felt the child was clearly “being abused at home.” Eventually, she went to the Orange County Deputy. She submitted a report that was sent to the child abuse division, and the authorities appear to be taking steps to resolve the situation.

What was more disconcerting, however, was to see how many in the comments corroborated this story. Another Guest shared, “Tbh, I’ve seen a lot of child abuse in Magic kingdom and it’s almost always the parents being stupid or impatient.”

Another shared, “I agree! I saw and heard 2 instances of it – both verbal abuse. It was crazy because I’d never heard of any parent talking to their children that way before.”

Many fans shared their own experiences with abuse as well, whether at Disney or otherwise, commiserating about the impact of that kind of experience as adults.

One commenter spoke in defense of Disney security. They shared, “I can ONLY imagine what people witnessed at the parks and I can only imagine how security had to just ignore it. They simply aren’t qualified to deal with child abuse and I don’t blame them.” The commenter followed it up by thanking the OP for speaking up.

It goes without saying this sort of behavior is blatantly unacceptable at the Disney Parks—a place that is a magical safe haven for Disney adults and children alike.

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