Rape of a two-year old girl – Madagascar Tribune

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The mother of a two year old left for Libya for work purposes and left the little girl in the charge of her husband, who had custody as well as her mother. The grandmother, whilst looking after the girl, noticed that the latter extracted a strange smell and took the child to the medical centre in the area. There, the doctor diagnosed that the girl had been raped. The grandmother made a formal complaint with the police against the father of the child. The father too made a complaint against the wife’s family for negligence and rape. All parties have been bailed out but the court still needs to examine the case. The little girl cannot reveal her traumatic experience as she has not started talking as yet.

There is no source in the article and it is only from the point of view of the journalist. It is important for such an important story to have the direct voices of the grandmother, the father and all those concerned as well as the proper authorities. The journalist simply related the facts of the event. No information is given whether the girl has had a HIV test to see if treatment for HIV/AIDS was necessary or not. The journalist could have asked the views of people in the region about this horrific violence on a two year old child. A vox-pop could have been included in the article as well as statistics on rape and violence on small children.

This article is a missed opportunity. Views of those concerned especially a medical doctor, the police and the Gender Ministry are of utmost importance.