(Trinidad Guardian) The mother of a pregnant Siparia pupil on Tuesday begged Police Commissioner Gary Griffith to arrest an alleged rapist whom she claims ruined her daughter’s life.
In an exclusive interview with Guardian Media, the 41-year-old mother said the teenager was always a well-behaved girl until she was raped by a man from their community in June 2017.
The teenager went into pre-labour yesterday.
She said the man had been stalking her daughter and making advances but she never took him on. One day when her daughter was at home on her way to shower, the man came through the back door and forced himself on the teenager. The mother had gone to take her younger disabled son to clinic and the teenager, then aged 16, was at home alone.
The distraught mother said the rapist threatened to kill the girl and her two younger brothers if she ever told anyone what happened.
“For two months my daughter wasn’t herself. She became very withdrawn and stopped talking. I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what it was. Then I took her to Tobago and that was when she opened up to me.”
The woman and her husband confronted the suspect and he denied the allegations. A report was lodged at the Siparia Police Station and police officers took the girl for a medical examination which confirmed her hymen was ruptured.
The woman said after the attack, the suspect continued to live close by. “Up to now, I don’t know if he was charged. We heard the matter is in court but we never once was asked to go to court,” the mother said.
She said her daughter’s mental state deteriorated and she began using a razor blade to cut her body.
The girl’s forearm and wrists were marked with scars. Her mother said the teenager repeatedly tried to harm herself. In desperation, the mother and her husband took turns at watching the teenager to make sure she did not harm herself.
“We were so worried. It was bad. She started to run away from home. It came to a point where she felt worthless and anybody could have done anything to her,” the mother said.
She revealed that help came when she went to the Children’s Authority and her daughter started to get counselling.
In October 2018, the mother said she was appalled when she found out her daughter was three months’ pregnant. She said the girl got involved with two former students of Siparia West Secondary and that was how she got pregnant.
Contacted for comment, a senior police officer said the suspect had been charged with rape last year. When asked why the mother was not told, the officer said the teenager will be called in court to testify when the matter is called.
Commissioner Griffith is also looking into the matter. The Children’s Authority has also been notified and will be sending counsellors to speak to the girl.
