Ethiopia: Parents demand justice for children raped by high schooler

ESAT News (August 4, 2017)

Parents are demanding justice for nine children, all boys, allegedly raped by a high schooler in Addis Ababa. The alleged child rapist, a neighbor to the victims, was caught red-handed by one of the mothers of the victims who spoke to ESAT on Friday.

The mother who spoke to ESAT said her child, who was 6 at the time of the alleged rape last year, has endured physical and psychological scars. She said all the victims suffer from incontinence and some have become suicidal. She said results of examinations of the victims at the Black Lion Hospital showed that their injuries were consistent with rape.

Parents of seven of the nine children whose age range from 6 to 9, have taken the case to court. The alleged rapist has been in jail since last year.

To add insult to injury, the father of the alleged perpetrator brutally beat up one of the mothers of the victims. He was sentenced to six months in jail, but parents say they fear retribution when he is out of prison.

The mother who spoke to ESAT said the social stigma was equally damaging to the morale of the children whom nearby schools have refused to admit.