Family says 7-year-old girl raped by teacher in Erbil
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The family of a seven-year-old girl studying at one of Erbil’s private schools claim that their daughter was repeatedly raped by one of her instructors for over a year, with the victim’s lawyer saying medical examinations have verified the child was sexually abused.
The family filed a complaint with the relevant authorities in early February and the suspect has been detained, pending further investigation and trial. Both parents, who spoke to Rudaw, claim that the school has been protecting the instructor.
The mother first suspected her daughter was being molested when she found money and a gold ring in her pockets.
“As I was picking up her clothes, I found money in her pockets… I found a gold ring and then five thousand dinars. She said that her friends had given it to her,” said the mother, confused as to why young girls would have been giving their friend money or jewellery.
The mother said that when she pressed her daughter on the matter, she began to cry and detailed how her teacher had been abusing her for a year and a half, but she had been too afraid to tell anyone.
“He told me ‘if you tell mom, I will kill you’,” said the mother, quoting her daughter.
The victim said she has seen the teacher behave similarly with several of her classmates, according to the mother.
The victim’s father said the school had previously admitted the abuse had occurred, but have now retracted their statement.
“I immediately called the headmaster of the school and asked her ‘Has my child been sexually abused?’ and to my surprise, I must admit, she said ‘Yes. She has been abused.’… We believe that the school is protecting the perpetrator,” he told Rudaw on Wednesday.
The school on Wednesday denied that they have been uncooperative, saying they had put the suspect on “immediate administrative leave” once the complaint was filed, and have been continuously working with the authorities ever since investigations began.
“No other children have come forward but it will be for the investigation and the judge to make a determination on that,” read a statement from the school submitted to Rudaw.
Karzan Said Tahseen, the victim’s lawyer, said that several medical examinations have been conducted and they have confirmed that the girl was sexually abused.
“Based on a judge’s orders, forensics have examined the child, and the results show she has been raped more than once and repeatedly,” said Tahseen.
Tahseen claimed that similar incidents involving teachers and students have previously happened at the school. In those cases, the students were expelled and the teachers went unpunished.
Kawa Akram, the suspect’s lawyer, said the matter must be decided in a court.
“Neither I, as the defendant’s lawyer, nor anyone else can prove at this stage whether or not this has happened,” said Akram, adding “evaluating this medical report can only be done through a relevant court.”
The suspect’s lawyer said that they will be bringing in a specialized doctor to examine the child.
The Kurdistan Region’s Independent Human Rights Commission declined to comment on the case, saying that the investigation was in its early stages.
Stigma around sexual violence is high in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region where the issue is wrapped up in notions of honor. As such, victims often hide the abuse and the problem is under-reported.
Earlier this week, a man in Basra confessed to kidnapping and raping a 7-year-old girl, before murdering her and putting her body in a trash can. The news sparked widespread anger across the country.
The family filed a complaint with the relevant authorities in early February and the suspect has been detained, pending further investigation and trial. Both parents, who spoke to Rudaw, claim that the school has been protecting the instructor.
The mother first suspected her daughter was being molested when she found money and a gold ring in her pockets.
“As I was picking up her clothes, I found money in her pockets… I found a gold ring and then five thousand dinars. She said that her friends had given it to her,” said the mother, confused as to why young girls would have been giving their friend money or jewellery.
The mother said that when she pressed her daughter on the matter, she began to cry and detailed how her teacher had been abusing her for a year and a half, but she had been too afraid to tell anyone.
“He told me ‘if you tell mom, I will kill you’,” said the mother, quoting her daughter.
The victim said she has seen the teacher behave similarly with several of her classmates, according to the mother.
The victim’s father said the school had previously admitted the abuse had occurred, but have now retracted their statement.
“I immediately called the headmaster of the school and asked her ‘Has my child been sexually abused?’ and to my surprise, I must admit, she said ‘Yes. She has been abused.’… We believe that the school is protecting the perpetrator,” he told Rudaw on Wednesday.
The school on Wednesday denied that they have been uncooperative, saying they had put the suspect on “immediate administrative leave” once the complaint was filed, and have been continuously working with the authorities ever since investigations began.
“No other children have come forward but it will be for the investigation and the judge to make a determination on that,” read a statement from the school submitted to Rudaw.
Karzan Said Tahseen, the victim’s lawyer, said that several medical examinations have been conducted and they have confirmed that the girl was sexually abused.
“Based on a judge’s orders, forensics have examined the child, and the results show she has been raped more than once and repeatedly,” said Tahseen.
Tahseen claimed that similar incidents involving teachers and students have previously happened at the school. In those cases, the students were expelled and the teachers went unpunished.
Kawa Akram, the suspect’s lawyer, said the matter must be decided in a court.
“Neither I, as the defendant’s lawyer, nor anyone else can prove at this stage whether or not this has happened,” said Akram, adding “evaluating this medical report can only be done through a relevant court.”
The suspect’s lawyer said that they will be bringing in a specialized doctor to examine the child.
The Kurdistan Region’s Independent Human Rights Commission declined to comment on the case, saying that the investigation was in its early stages.
Stigma around sexual violence is high in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region where the issue is wrapped up in notions of honor. As such, victims often hide the abuse and the problem is under-reported.
Earlier this week, a man in Basra confessed to kidnapping and raping a 7-year-old girl, before murdering her and putting her body in a trash can. The news sparked widespread anger across the country.
*The names of the young girl, her parents, the suspect, and the school have been deliberately kept by Rudaw English due to the sensitivity of the topic.
Payam Sarbast and Shahyan Tahseen contributed to this article.