A 12-year-old girl whose abuse, allegedly at the hand of her guardian, came to light after a video went viral, said she has endured prolonged suffering and neglect, doesn’t go to school and is made to work in an establishment selling alcohol.

She spoke about her ordeal from her hospital bed with her mother by her side.

The girl, who cannot be named as she is underaged and a victim of crime, said she has been physically abused by her guardian since October 2021 when she was handed to the suspect who was supposed to take care of her.

Speaking from her bed in the Katutura Hospital where she got admitted and is now recovering, the victim told New Era yesterday that since October 2021, she is not allowed to play and is often beaten with a sjambok for failing to arrange the tombo jars on the table.

The latest incident happened last Saturday and Sunday when hot water was poured on her face, smashed with a bottle of beer and cut with a knife oh her fingers.

“My auntie beats me almost everyday if I do not arrange the table or sometimes if I did not feed her small baby,” she narrated.

The victim, who was sitting next to her mother, eating her lunch from the hospital, said her guardian’s abuse is often violent.

“Last Saturday, she (the suspect) came home and found me seated. She started nagging and grabbed a jar full of hot water and poured it on my face. I burned and cried. Two neighbours saw me but they did not say anything,” she explained.

On Sunday, the suspect allegedly called the victim to go feed her child and there was a noise coming from the jukebox at the neareby bar. 

The victim allegedly did not hear the calling and the suspect grabbed a bottle of beer and smashed it on the victim’s face before she took a knife to cut her hand.

The situation attracted the attention of members of the community who recorded the victim and circulated the video on social media platforms, which led to the arrest of the suspect.

Namibian Police spokesperson Kauna Shikwambi confirmed the gender-based violence charges against the suspect and said she is expected to appear in Katutura Magistrate’s Court today.

“A 39-year-old woman was arrested today (2 January 2023) and is detained at Wanaheda police station,  charged with assault GBH. The arrest was effected following a lead through the social media platforms about a 12-year-old girl who was posted with physical evidence of abuse and neglect. The victim is admitted and is now recovering in Katutura hospital. The complainant, who is the biological mother of the girl, opened the case and according to her, she has initially given the victim to her friend (suspect) because she was unable to raise her child because she is also raising younger siblings to the victim. The case is under investigation,” she said.

She warned the public to refrain from disclosing the details of minors when such cases happen.

“I would like to indicate here that as much as it is appreciated for members of the public to identify and bring to the light incidents such as this for the police to investigate, we would like to implore the public to do it with caution and not expose the victims of crime especially children, they need to be protected. Always contact your nearest police station,” she said.

My friend

A 39-year-old mother to the victim, Ottilie Nekandu, said the suspect approached her to give her one child so that she can assist her in raising children as they are orphans. The father of the victim passed on in 2014 and since then Nekandu has been struggling to feed her four children including the victim. 

“I trusted her because she is my friend who initiated the assist. But now I no longer trust her and any other person that will come ask to raise my child. I am in pain, I did not expect to see any of my children enduring this kind of pain,” said the tearful mother. 

Appealing for assistance

Nekandu is appealing to the good Samaritans to assist in enrolling her child in school.

She said she has tried looking for space in school to enrol her child but was turned away because she does not have a birth certificate. 

When this newspaper visited the hospital, the mother indicated that the victim, who is on chronic medication, does not have clothes as the suspect burnt them in December after she failed to comply with her orders of selling tombo and beer to her customers.

She also appealed to be assisted with groceries for her children as she survives from collecting empty cans and firewood.