ADDIS ABABA, (Reuters) – Hundreds of women have rallied to demand the death penalty for a man who shackled a girl with dogs for 18 years and abused her, the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported yesterday.
The unnamed suspect from Adama — a town 100 km (63 miles) east of the capital Addis Ababa — imprisoned the girl from the age of four, the agency said.
The man took custody of her when his mother, who had been caring for the girl, died. The victim’s own mother suffered from mental illness.
“The suspect tortured, violated and brutally abused the girl for 18 years, shackling her with dogs in a secluded room inside his home,” police told ENA.
“He starved the girl, only throwing her crumbs of bread once in a while, and she was forced to share the dogs’ food to survive. She is in poor health.”
