She was so malnourished she was close to death.
Parents in Sweden have been jailed for starving their daughter they believed could live without food and water.
The 18-month-old girl had been fed a diet of breast milk, brown rice, and potatoes when she was brought to hospital in Gothenburg, western Sweden in a serious condition.
The infant had not been registered in Sweden, vaccinated, or been seen by a health professional since her birth.
The Local reports that she was so malnourished when she was taken to hospital that she was close to death.
“According to their ideological belief that the daughter was a citizen of the world, her parents did not even report the birth to any authority, have her checked at a paediatric centre, or even weigh or measure her growth. Nor has the girl been vaccinated or examined by a doctor,” said a statement from the court.
The report added that the diet the girl had been fed “was far from sufficient or adapted for such a small child” and that her parents’ “serious negligence had put their daughter in a life-threatening situation.”
Her parents, who follow a strict vegan diet themselves, apparently did not believe that they were doing harm to their daughter.
The toddler’s mother believed that a person could successfully live without food and water following intense physical and psychological training.
They have been sentenced to three months imprisonment and ordered to pay 60,000 kronor in damages to their daughter.
The toddler is now in the care of a foster parent.
