No aid for abused teen girl
|Published
Community Protest outside Wynberg court. Photographer: Ayanda Ndamane African News Agency (ANA)
A court has heard that a child who was allegedly sexually assaulted by her madressa teacher did not receive proper counselling after the ordeal.
The 14-year-old laid a charge against Abdul Karriem, the owner of the Halawat Ul Qur’an Haafith Academy in Ottery, in 2019.
The case was briefly heard in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court before it was postponed to 16 March.
According to the girl’s mother, the alleged incident with her daughter occurred during Ramadaan.
The teacher allegedly approached the girl and asked her why she did not greet him.
When she greeted him by kissing him on the cheek, he kissed her with an open mouth and then grabbed her bum, the teen’s mother alleges.
Rape survivor Faatin Bux organised a community march to the court to show support for the young victim.
“Hearing that the girl had not received proper counselling exposes that the system is failing us (victims),” she said.
“She is a child and she was not supported. She may appear as a strong person, but no one knows how she feels and felt during the assault.”
This is not the only charge of sexual assault Karriem is facing.
A case was made by an alleged victim for a crime dating back to 2007.
In November 2020, the complainant opened a case for the alleged sexual assault that took place in May 2007.
Colonel Dawood Laing from Grassy Park SAPS said: “The victim only came to the police station on 6 November 2020 based on the fact that she felt that she should speak out against all sexual abuse.”