After three years of alleged negligence, North West District Council has finally paid a visit to an 11- year old orphan of Samedupi settlement to assess her vulnerability and extend protection measures to her as needed.
Confirming the new development, the council’s public relations officer, Nikita Rathedi said the social welfare department is making arrangement to get the girl back to school in January next year.
“We checked on the child and from our assessment, she is out of danger and she will continue to stay with her grandmother,” Rathedi explained.
The child, Nikita said,has been put under orphan programme and thus receives monthly welfare coupons and her grandmother has been hired under a poverty relief programme, Ipelegeng to help her make ends meet.
The girl has been out of school since 2017 and reportedly raped four times by men from the neighbourhood between the ages of 8 and 9. However one of the alleged perpetrator, 46- year- old neighbour was arrested and is currently facing a defilement charge before Maun magistrate court in a case that was registered in 2018.
Although the girl had claimed that sometimes men come to her house and abuse her sexually, the family is said to have reported to social welfare that all is well these days.
Catching up with the family this week, the grandmother did confirm that the department of social welfare visited them about a week ago and promised to help the child.
“I did not really understand, but they took us to their offices and the officer kept writing and adding numbers there, so I think they will come back,” that is all the grandmother understood about the visit.
Beaming with the joy at the prospect of going back to school, the girl only said, “I am happy because I am going to make new friends and eat good food at school. I am going to wear a school uniform and plait my hair.”
Oblivious to trial of her case before Maun magistrate court next week, the girl is not expected to give testimony in court as she has been declared to be mentally challenged.
Meanwhile the council has maintained that her alleged molester no longer lives in Samedupi and thus do not not pose danger to her anymore.
