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Minor allegedly raped at daycare

2021-11-01  Paheja Siririka

Minor allegedly raped at daycare

Paheja Siririka

The mother of a five-year-old girl who was allegedly raped at a crèche in Windhoek two weeks ago, is disappointed with the police as the alleged suspect has not been arrested yet.

Talking to New Era, *Vivian narrated the ordeal of what transpired, from noticing the changes in her daughter’s attitude to reporting the matter to the police where no action has been taken, considering that the suspect is known as he resides at the daycare centre.

The mother noticed an unfamiliar smell coming from her daughter after she urinated in a basin. “I went to fetch my girl from the crèche around 18h00 and when we arrived home, she wanted to urinate.

I told her to use a basin, while I used the toilet pot. While she was getting up from urinating, she was bringing along a foul odour,” said the mother, who is a domestic worker.

After attempting to cross-question her daughter why she smelled like that, the little one weirdly starred at her, saying she is fine, and wore her underwear. This left Vivian more confused and dumfounded. “I gave her something to eat, and she went to sleep. I waited for a while, removed her underwear, and that is when I saw sperm. I then used the underwear to wipe the rest, and put it in a plastic bag,” narrated the 30-year-old with a shaky voice and in disbelief. She woke up her daughter, who was still sleepy, and started with the interrogation again. “I woke her up, took her for a shower and started interrogating her, which is when she narrated what had happened,” continued Vivian.  “I approached the kindergarten the following day and told them what had happened, and they were in disbelief that the accused person would be capable of doing something like that. They said it can’t be that individual because he is old, and if he was responsible for that, the little one would have bled.” The suspect is in his early 30s, according to the rape victim’s mother. “The kindergarten told me there could be a possibility that children her age would have done that. I said, ‘no way’, because a four, five or six-year-old does not have sperm. My daughter pointed to the room where the rape took place, and there is only one boy who sleeps in that room. I also confronted the accused person, and he denied it.” She took her daughter to the hospital for various tests, and they all came back negative. Vivian then went to the Wanaheda Police Station to open a case, but was not given a case number until Monday last week. Head of the gender-based violence sub-division, Detective Inspector Christiana Simaho, said parents and guardians should familiarise themselves with the procedures of reporting cases like these, especially those that involve minors, so that they can receive immediate attention. She said the guardian or parent must make sure that the victim is safe and comfortable, and head straight to the GBV office to be seen by a doctor and social worker. The social worker will do the crisis intervention, and prepare a trauma impact report. Depending on the mindset (trauma) of the victim and the state of the mind, the statement may be obtained or not. “If the statement of the victim is not obtained or she did not open up, the victim will be given counselling by the social worker to open up for statements to be taken and a trauma impact report to be compiled,” she explained.  Simaho said if the suspect is known, the person is usually arrested, depending on the evidence provided. “Even if the victim didn’t open up, the matter will still proceed. After the statements of all witnesses had been obtained, the case will be sent to court,” said Simaho, adding that the safety of the victim is a priority. “If the victim and the perpetrator are staying together, either the perpetrator or the victim will be removed, but mostly the perpetrator will be either arrested or removed. The complainant (parent or guardian) has the right to decide on bail; that means whether the accused person can be granted bail or not.”

psiririka@nepc.com.na

*Vivian is not her real name.

 


2021-11-01  Paheja Siririka

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