Police probing attack on Corentyne student by schoolmates
-hijab ripped off during attempt to strip victim
The police in Berbice are presently investigating an attack on a 15-year-old student by two of her schoolmates at a Corentyne Secondary School.
The student’s mother, a teacher, reported the attack to the Springlands Police Station, after she was dissatisfied about the way in which the school handled the case.
This newspaper was told that the two alleged attackers, a Third Form student and a Fourth Form student, were suspended.
In a video of the attack, seen by Sunday Stabroek, two female students walked up to the victim and after arguing with her for a few seconds they threw juice onto her face. The two students then began hitting her, while she attempted to defend herself.
In the presence of her mother, she confirmed that she threw drinks on the students after they attacked her and also tried to fight her way out of the attack.
During the attack, the girls also removed the victim’s hijab and allegedly attempted to strip her.
In the video, the girls pulled up the victim’s skirt in an effort to expose her but she was wearing a long tights under her uniform at the time.
They were also heard using expletives towards her.
The attack was carried out last Monday during a lunch break.
Meanwhile, Sunday Stabroek was told that earlier on Monday one of the attackers asked the girl why she had called “her [the attacker’s] friend a whore?”
The victim denied doing so and her assailant then informed her that they would see her at lunch.
After the attack, the victim was taken to a teacher by a fellow student. However, she claims that the teacher asked that she not inform her mother.
The victim’s mother was informed by a fellow student and not a teacher.
The woman wants authorities to deal with the case immediately as she believes that worse could have happened to her daughter and the suspensions are not adequate punishment.
She said such a simple punishment gives the impression that it is okay to attack students. She believes that the attackers need to be held accountable for their actions.
Furthermore, the woman said her daughter has now become the victim of bullying since persons who are in receipt of the video of the attack are taunting her about it at school.
Meanwhile, other parents have told Stabroek News, that other students have also fallen victim of bullying from the same group of attackers.
Additionally, the mother of one of the attackers was charged on Friday with defamation of character and released on self-bail. She reportedly made a social media post laced with expletives against the young victim.