JUSTICE FOR DEAF GIRL

DEAF and dumb, a Chipata based school girl who was raped and forced to watch her fam ily negotiate for compensation, is finally get ting justice following the arrest of the culprit.

The police in Chipata have finally detained the guard alleged to have raped the girl from Walela School.

This follows an expose by the Daily Nation with the help of a concerned teacher.

It is sad that the police ignored the case un til they were forced to take action after the matter was blown open.

We now understand that the suspect, Friday Phiri, has been detained after police officers finally visited the school and interro gated school authorities.

This also comes after the suspect paid off the victim’s family with a K5000 part pay ment, so that the case could be hashed up.

However, the victim, a 26 year old grade four pupil in the special unit of the school, was outraged by the arranged compensation and asked the teachers to expose the matter.

Unfortunately even the people who should offered help to the girl, failed her. Both the school administration and the police failed this girl by ignoring the case and allowing the family to try and hash it up

The police did not help matters by sending the girl and her family to the Victim Support Unity (VSU) for counselling instead of inves tigating the matter.

This is unprofessional and should be dis couraged. A case of sexual harassment should not be over looked just because the victim can not speak or hear.

We believe that everyone involved in this case, other than the whistleblower, wanted to take advantage of the girl’s condition.

A silent victim was made to suffer the pain and indignation of rape while her family ne gotiated for money to settle the matter.

However, having learnt sign language at the school, the girl was able to explain to her teachers what had happened to her and how her family wanted the matter to be swept un der the carpet.

She demanded for justice and we hope that this is what she will get.

In any case, we do not think it is right to have a sexual pervert running free at a school for girls. There is no guarantee that he would not repeat the offense with other girls, know ing that he would buy his way out of trouble.

Now that Police have confirmed that the perpetrator has been detained, we hope there will be no more underhand negotiations.

The victim in this case wants justice and that is what she must get.

She is luck to have found a teacher who was willing to stand for the truth and helped her.

PURSUING JUSTICE AND EQUITY WITH INTERGRITY