A medical examination conducted on an eight-year-old girl who was rescued from a seaside house by the Children’s Authority of T&T, has confirmed she was sexually assaulted over a period of time. The girl, who gave a statement to officials from the Child Protection Unit, admitted to being molested by a relative several times over the past year.
Over the past two years, the girl, who is in Standard Two, had been begging to leave the house which she occupied with her grandmother and uncle.
Police are now searching for a main suspect after questioning another man in connection with the case.
In an interview yesterday, however, the child’s grandmother, who suffers from arthritis, claimed she did not know the girl was being molested. She said the child never told her about the assaults, although she asked the child several times if she was the victim of sexual assault. Asked why she raised such concerns with the child in the first place, the grandmother said the alleged child molester had interfered with three of her female relatives several years ago, so she had some suspicions. Pressed as to why she allowed a known child molester to be around her granddaughter, the grandmother responded, “I thought he was over that.”
She also said the Child Protection Unit sent to child to stay with another relative rather than put her in a safe house. However, that relative has since indicated she cannot keep the child for a lengthy period. The girl’s mother, who allegedly abandoned her in 2009 a day after her birth, was also contacted by the authority.
A source, who requested anonymity, said she was concerned about why the authority did not place the child in a safe house.
“Why would they want to put her in the care of a (...relative) who does not have the means to care for her? Even worse, why would the authority contact the child’s mother, who obviously never wanted her...?” the source asked.
The Children’s Authority was galvanised into action on Thursday when the T&T Guardian exclusively highlighted the child’s plight.
The child and an 18-year-old woman were removed from the house by the authority.
The teenager, who reportedly complained about physical abuse at the hands of a relative, was sent to a safe house.
The authority had received a complaint about the child since January 14, but it was only on Thursday that officials visited the house and found violations. But communications manager Cheryl-Ann Moses said at the time the initial report was made there was no complaint of sexual molestation. This, however, was denied by a source close to the family.
Under the Sexual Offences Act, an adult who fails to report a case of child molestation is subject to criminal prosecution.
Contacted yesterday, chairman of the Children’s Authority Stephanie Daly said she could not respond to questions about the case because of confidentiality restrictions. An email was also sent to Moses but there was no response.
