SISTERS, 11, 13 RAPED FOR SEVERAL YEARS, OFFERED E2 FOR SILENCE

MBABANE – Nearly five years since it all started, two girls have finally spoken up about a rape ordeal that was kept secret, allegedly by their grandmother.

To ensure that they did not report the incident, it is alleged the two girls were offered E2 each. *Jackie (11) and *Jenny (13) are sisters who alleged that they were raped when they were five and six years. The two girls are said to have been living at their grandmother’s homestead in the Shiselweni Region, during the alleged sexual abuse ordeal. Their father is deceased, but their mother who is still alive is said to have left them at her maternal homestead because she was now married.

Speaking about their ordeal in the presence of their aunt, Jackie, who is the younger of the two girls, said the sexual abuse started when she was about five years old. She said she was able to remember her age  because, at the time it started, she was not in school yet. Jackie is now doing Grade VI and she said she was allegedly sexually abused by four different people. She said three of the people who sexually abused her were female and the fourth was a male. She revealed that the male, who allegedly raped her, is a relative and that this allegedly continued for about five years. Jackie said the incident left her with injuries on her private parts.

Jenny, who is the older of the two also, concurred with her sister’s story. She said the alleged rape left her with scarred private parts and internal damage as confirmed by a doctor. Jenny revealed that when she was allegedly raped, she was seven years old in doing Grade II. Just like her sister, Jenny said she was allegedly raped by her relatives including three females and a male. She said they would sometimes rape them in the same room with her sister.

Grandmother

The two girls said they reported the alleged abuse to their grandmother but no action was taken. They also alleged they were given E2  as compensation so that they should keep silent about the alleged rape. “We then told our mother,” the girls said. Due to the alleged sexual abuse, the two girls were forced to move to another school. They said they were now starting afresh but that they were still traumatised. The Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni confirmed that the alleged rape had been reported to one of the Pigg’s Peak police stations.

In the Times of Eswatini, last Tuesday, an alleged rape inside was reported, where it was revealed that a teenager was booted out of home for reporting that her uncle was sexually abusing her. *Nothando reported that the alleged sexual abuse started in 2017 when she lived with her grandmother. It is alleged that she had been raped by her uncle who was in his mid-20s at the time. It was alleged that when she slept with her cousins, her uncle would enter the room and touch her inappropriately. Nothando alleged that her uncle would target the times when her grandmother was away from home.

Further, the teenager also alleged that she was barred from reporting the matter because she lived at a homestead where there were police officers. She alleged that despite the incident having happened about five years ago, her grandmother continued to insist that she was the one who was problematic.
The Swatini Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA), said it was not too late to open a case. SWAGAA Director Nonhlanhla Dlamini said as long as there was tangible evidence that the uncle indeed raped Nothando when she was still a minor, she would get justice. Dlamini said as part of their interventions they would assist Nothando to open a case. Adding, Dlamini said they will also assist Nothando with counselling.\

Not real name to protect minors.

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