“Papa finn bat mwa avek enn baton dan mo lasam.” This is what a 6 year old girl confided to her mother on the evening of Tuesday, September 28 after she was found alone in front of her mother’s house on a street in the Calebasses area. She had in her possession two bags containing her clothes. Since her parents separated a year ago, she had been living with her father in Pailles. The Child Development Unit (CDU) of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare was seized of this case of abuse.
The mother of the girl, a 28 year old hairdresser, went to the police station in Pamplemousses on the evening of Tuesday 28 September to make a statement. In her complaint, she gave the history of her marriage with a resident of Pailles. The couple was in a bad way. This is how she made the decision to separate from her husband a year ago.
She took her two sons, aged respectively 2 and 8 years in her company, while her husband took under his responsibility and care of their daughter of 6 years. It was around 20:50 on Tuesday evening, September 28, when she received a phone call from her husband. The latter, who is 31 years old, asked her to take his daughter, “lor sime”.
The young woman went out and said she was shocked to find her child alone in the street. She was carrying two bags of her clothes. The child was taken inside the house where she was questioned after her mother detected reddish marks on her arms, feet and legs. Her daughter told her, “Papa finn bat mwa avek enn baton dan mo lasam”.
Immediately she took her child to the northern hospital for treatment after getting a form 58 on the spot. She later went to the Pamplemousses police station to file a child abuse complaint. The CDU office of the northern division was alerted to this case. Since Wednesday morning, an investigation has started.
