Ohangwena mom advises daughter to apply salt to rape wounds, hides incident

… police urge parents to speak up on children’s trauma

A teacher in the Ohangwena region was shocked after discovering one of her pupils was raped, with the girl’s mother not reporting this to the police.

The 10-year-old victim’s mother’s only advice to her daughter was allegedly to apply salt to her wounds.

The teacher says she realised something was wrong when she became aware of a bad smell in her classroom, coming from the victim.

Upon investigating, the girl told her she incurred sores on her genitals after wearing tight jeans.

The victim finally admitted she had been raped along with a six-year-old at their home in the Ohangwena region.

Ohangwena police acting regional commander Bennet Muyambango says a rape case has not been opened yet, but the police’s Gender-Based Protection Unit will ensure this.

The victim allegedly told her teacher that she told her mother about the incident, upon which she [her mother] advised her to apply salt to her wounds.

“When school ended on Wednesday, I called her aside because I saw she had an uncomfortable walk and the other pupils were mocking her, saying she smells bad,” the teacher says.

“I took her to the school’s life skills teacher who instructed the child to bring along her mother to school the following day,” she says.

The victim’s mother allegedly also told the teacher the girl’s wounds were caused by wearing tight jeans.

“We asked her further if she had taken the child to the hospital and she said she did. We asked for evidence of the hospital card and she could not provide it,” the teacher says.

The school instructed the mother to take the girl to the nearest clinic at their village.

The girl was transferred to Eenhana hospital, where she is currently recovering.

Muyambango says rape cases are rife in the region, yet parents choose not to report these.

“It is really sad to see that parents would rather see their children hurt and traumatised through rape, than protect them.

“We have had incidents of fathers raping their children and the children continue living in that environment, enduring the torture.

“And the mothers are just quiet. Parents need to do better for their children’s sake,” he says.

Muyambango says the police are yet to arrest the alleged rapist. The girl has said she does not know the man.

“According to the information we have received, the girl has said she was sexually assaulted while walking in a field by two strangers. We are currently investigating,” he says.

Clinical psychologist Shaun Whittaker says rapists often threaten their victims by telling them to keep quiet.

The victims then end up believing it’s normal to be raped, he says.

“Grown-ups should take it seriously when their children report being raped. We have a culture of silence.

“Parents are often afraid of speaking up, worrying about what people would say and the social stigma. Sometimes perpetrators bring the family money, and they just keep quiet,” Whittaker says.

“Parents, guardians and teachers: If you see any significant changes in the behaviour of your child, such as nightmares, bed wetting, being scared, crying, stomach aches, or sores on their private parts, these should be taken seriously.

“If a child changes their behaviour and is scared in someone’s presence, parents should be on the alert. We have to understand that most perpetrators are not strangers. They can be family members or friends, people who have access to the child.”