I guess the answer to that is all relative based on which author is writing what, although at least one author had a clever way of linking everything based on the idea that it is all one universe, there are just a myriad of different countries in the super-huge amazon globe, and they all have differing ways of treating littles, with some of them being respectful and progressive, some in between, and some being very cruel and abusive. Perso's story would seem to take place in one of the in between countries.