Chaltu Abdi
by Engidu Woldie
ESAT News (September 4, 2018)
A man in Harara, Eastern Ethiopia, sexually assaulted a 13 year old girl and later splashed her with an unidentified liquid that resulted in a third degree burn.
Chaltu Abdi has died on Thursday in a hospital bed in Addis Ababa.
Chaltu, who hailed from Bedeno, East Hararghe, was a domestic worker for the alleged perpetrator who hid her for days after the assault and the suspected chemical attack. She told police in Harar that he was forced to take her to a hospital after the burn on her body began to smell like a foul stench.
In a hospital in Harar, the perpetrator had made sure that Chaltu was not visited by anyone; and in fact, he hired two policemen to watch her. Chaltu shared her story to one of the policemen, who in turn contacted authorities, Elsa Kebede, a senior officer at the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association told ESAT.
She was brought to the Yekatit 12 Hospital in Addis Ababa but doctors were not able to save her life.
The suspect, whose identity is not yet known, remains under arrest.
A candle vigil is scheduled to be held at the Yekatit 12 Hospital tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Elsa Kebede says she has received threats and insults after she brought the crime to light.