News / Local
Pupil drugged, raped - Headmistress refuses to comment, father says its 'history'
22 Feb 2015 at 06:15hrs | Views
The headmistress of Eveline Girls High school in Bulawayo, Mrs S Moyo has refused to comment on a spine-chilling incident where a 16-year-old pupil was reportedly drugged, raped and later dumped by the roadside, "with blood stains on her thighs", in Lobengula West.
According to witnesses the 16-year-old was allegedly attacked by commuter omnibus drivers.
The girl attracted scores of people from nearby suburbs who were left in shock after she narrated what had transpired.
A witness, Mr Takudzwa Marimba, told Sunday News: "We just found the girl dumped by the roadside with blood stains on her thighs. She was pale and her eyes clearly showed she had been drugged. The girl was also taking time to speak as she was tired. People poured water on her as they thought she was drunk but she did not smell of smell."
"The girl said some people dragged her into a blue kombi and took her to Richmond where she was drugged and three men who were in the car took turns to rape her. She gave us her home address and some people had to go and call her parents who came with the police."
Another witness told the newspaper that she "what I saw was very devastating. How can men do such a ruthless thing to such a young girl? The police must do something and ensure that perpetrators are brought to book."
The girl's father reportedly chased news reporters out of his home saying:"What you are talking about happened but it's history and we do not want it to be publicised."
It is not known wether the girl will be offered counselling since the family believes it's all history.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo said: "I can confirm that a child was sexually abused and we are still investigating the case."
According to Rape Criss England and Wales, listed below is what not to do when giving support to a rape victim.
Don't tell them to forget about it. Don't say, "it happened a long time ago, why does it suddenly bother you now?" Healing can take time and some people block or try to forget traumatic events. This is a way of coping with what has happened. Remembering can be triggered by events such as the birth of a baby, a T.V. programme, marriage, changing job, starting a new relationship etc....
Don't ask them why they didn't fight back. People can freeze when confronted with a terrifying situation.
Don't ask why they didn't say anything sooner. If it happened when they where young they may have tried to tell but been ignored or disbelieved. They may have been threatened or been too frightened to say anything. Most people do try to tell someone at some time.
Don't tell them what to do. They need to be in control of their own decisions about matters that affect them. You can help them to explore options that are available to them.
Don't pressure them into doing, or talking about things they are not ready to face. When they are ready they will speak.
According to witnesses the 16-year-old was allegedly attacked by commuter omnibus drivers.
The girl attracted scores of people from nearby suburbs who were left in shock after she narrated what had transpired.
A witness, Mr Takudzwa Marimba, told Sunday News: "We just found the girl dumped by the roadside with blood stains on her thighs. She was pale and her eyes clearly showed she had been drugged. The girl was also taking time to speak as she was tired. People poured water on her as they thought she was drunk but she did not smell of smell."
"The girl said some people dragged her into a blue kombi and took her to Richmond where she was drugged and three men who were in the car took turns to rape her. She gave us her home address and some people had to go and call her parents who came with the police."
Another witness told the newspaper that she "what I saw was very devastating. How can men do such a ruthless thing to such a young girl? The police must do something and ensure that perpetrators are brought to book."
It is not known wether the girl will be offered counselling since the family believes it's all history.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo said: "I can confirm that a child was sexually abused and we are still investigating the case."
According to Rape Criss England and Wales, listed below is what not to do when giving support to a rape victim.
Don't tell them to forget about it. Don't say, "it happened a long time ago, why does it suddenly bother you now?" Healing can take time and some people block or try to forget traumatic events. This is a way of coping with what has happened. Remembering can be triggered by events such as the birth of a baby, a T.V. programme, marriage, changing job, starting a new relationship etc....
Don't ask them why they didn't fight back. People can freeze when confronted with a terrifying situation.
Don't ask why they didn't say anything sooner. If it happened when they where young they may have tried to tell but been ignored or disbelieved. They may have been threatened or been too frightened to say anything. Most people do try to tell someone at some time.
Don't tell them what to do. They need to be in control of their own decisions about matters that affect them. You can help them to explore options that are available to them.
Don't pressure them into doing, or talking about things they are not ready to face. When they are ready they will speak.
Source - Sunday News,rapecrisis.org.uk
