Plea for Justice by Betty Makoni

Introduction
I am the father to a victim of sexual abuse - Statutory Rape.  I am writing to all and sundry, but specifically to all Justice Systems, all world Leaders, All churches, all Organisations willing to protect the Girl child, and to all parents of young girls.  Please HELP to protect all young girls in order that they live a normal and useful life.  I thank you for reading this article.  My contact details are 263 912388413 or my residential 263 4 302 147.  0912125829

The Victim
She is young, 15 years, beautiful, extremely INTELLIGENT - 'A' Class Student - now a DROP OUT.  She used to win races ranging from Marathons, swimming.  She played Hockey, Basket Ball, chess and many others.  Now she is pregnant, confused and desperate.  She has Wart STI.  He has destroyed her - I have lost her.  Her mother has lost her.

The Victor
He is young adult of 19 years.  He drives posh cars.  He splashes money - now the greenback.  He loves young girls, whisks them off to parties and safe houses far from their parents.  His father portrays to be rich, famous and pompous.  He lived in with another young girl last year till the step mother chased the girl away.  He must very promiscuous.

Privacy
I wish to apologise sincerely to my daughter for going public in this matter.  I want to protect other would be victims like her.  I might also be the Voice of the Voiceless.  There wasn't any privacy after all even in the Rotten Row Courtroom on Thursday 23 July 2009.

Outrage
My wife and I were outraged by the verdict.  He has to effectively do community service at Borrowdale Police station for 110 hours (3 weeks) despite having started abusing my daughter when she was 14 years.  He has impregnated her and infected her with a viral STI.  His parents, relatives and friends were jubilant after the VERDICT.  They were head over heels in laughter.  These men from rich backgrounds can now abuse the innocent girls with IMPUNITY.  My wife had an altercation with one of the relatives of the accused and I had no option but to try and protect her by kicking him off.  We were arrested and fined US$20 each having been subjected to interrogation for more than 2 hours.  So you see, not only did we lose our daughter to that insatiable libido, but had to part with little cash we had for buying her food.  Not to mention the humiliation at the police camp we had to go through.

The Case
After reporting the matter to the nearest police station, they asked us to use our car to hunt for the accused since there was no police vehicle.  We spent more than eight hours tracking him in the cold night.  He played hide and seek.  He was only apprehended at dawn.  His father asked what TYPE of a car the police handling the matter were driving and even offered us any amount to meet whatever costs we were to incur.  What amount of money can buy the parent's love for their ONE and ONLY daughter?

Within 24 hours the accused was unprocedurally released by the police on the pretext that they were transferring the accused to another station.  The new station did not receive the accused but only a FLYING Docket.  After querying the process, the Office in Charge of the new police station gave us two constables to hunt for and re-arrest the accused, again using our car and fuel.  Another Cat and Mouse game had started.

The night was freezing cold; we drove around town until the gas tank ran dry.  We started to make headway after inquiring from his father's live-in girlfriend.  She came out of the house frothing and spitting venom, apparently afraid that her house would be revealed as one of the places used for sexually abusing our daughter and others of her age.  Heavenly help came with the arrival of some anti-corruption officers driving by.  They urged the young constables not to rest until the unprocedurally released culprit was re-arrested.  His father arrived in no time.  In an attempt to frustrate us he drove in circles, purportedly leading us to his son's whereabouts.  Eventually he drove to the police station and the officers threatened him with detention until his son was found.  Then he had no option but to bring his child in the early hours of 22 July 2009.

Since our daughter had been medically examined, including HIV by the Harare Hospital Family Support, the case was fast tracked to court.  The docket arrived at the court room from the police station at 1000 hours and the Court was in session at 1115 hours.  One wonders whether the court officials had ample time to peruse the docket.  The presiding magistrate had the audacity to ask what type of disease my child had contracted despite him holding the Medical Report in his own hands.  The accused did not undergo medical examination despite our request.  Our plea to terminate the pregnancy was not even attended to.  The accused had three counts:-
1.    Statutory Rape (From when our child was 14)
2.    Contracting our Child with Wart STI knowingly
3.    Impregnating our child at 15

The Prosecutors read one allegation to the Magistrate despite clear indication of the seriousness of the matter.

The trauma and pain my wife and I are going through are beyond comprehension especially when you would have followed the law to protect you and it is not complied with.  Our child is distraught, confused and helpless.  She even hints to disappear from us, forever.

Conclusion
All said and done, winners jubilating and we losers licking our wounds.  We are calling upon everyone in the world to join my family in the fight for JUSTICE.  
I thank you.