Woman held for abusing stepdaughter
By Phinias Bashaya, The Citizen Correspondent
In Summary
The woman is suspected to have severely wounded
Diana Edson, 10, with a hot knife, restricting her in their house and
giving her only one meal a day.
The woman is suspected to have severely wounded
Diana Edson, 10, with a hot knife, restricting her in their house and
giving her only one meal a day.
The abused child, resident of Bunazi Village,
Kassambya Ward was found untidy and with smelling wounds after they
remained untreated for many days.
Speaking to this reporter at Bunazi Health Centre
where she has been hospitalised, Diana said she was wounded and barred
from getting out of their house for fear of exposing her mother’s
malpractice to neighbours.
She said her father moved her to Missenye from Mwanza where she was residing with her own mother.
Reports have it that the child, who was seen with
scars scattered all over her body and a swollen left hand, was being
beaten up by the suspected stepmother almost every day.
However, the suspected torturer, Ms Edson, denied abusing the girl, saying she only treated her wounds by using herbals.
The father of the child was not immediately
available for comment. It was alleged that the man was currently
residing in Karagwe District also in Kagera Region.
A thorough check in the house of the suspected
woman revealed an iron, a knife and some sticks that are alleged to have
been used in abusing the girl whose studies were interrupted while she
was still in Standard One.
Bunazi Village chairman Angelo Izidory said it was
difficult for them to discover the cruelty against the girl given the
fact that she was being kept indoors all the time.
Mr Abdalah Kassimu, an eye witness, blamed the
father of the child for ignoring the severe torture his child was
undergoing, saying he must also be held accountable for the brutality.
The child has been left without any assistance at
Bunazi Health Centre as her stepmother is being held by the police and
the whereabouts of his father are unknown.
Efforts to reach Kagera regional police commander for comment proved futile.
Efforts to reach Kagera regional police commander for comment proved futile.
