More than four months after her daughter was raped, a city woman is still struggling for justice.
On August 7, the 17-year-old girl was working in a store owned by the mother of the perpetrator when she was "lured" into the man's apartment and raped. Ever since, her mother has been fighting to have the alleged rapist charged, but to no avail. The police told Stabroek News that a signature is being awaited for the investigations to move forward.
In a brief telephone interview with her yesterday, the woman told Stabroek News, "We are not hearing anything....We went to the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) office last week and [someone there] told me to come back on December 19...They say they did not get the file."
A leaflet was her next resort and in that appeal, the woman said: "Four months have passed and it seems as this matter will be swept under the carpet. Nothing has been heard from either the DPP or the police. My daughter has been counselled -`Go on with your life'. Certainly, she has to, but she goes on living everyday in fear. In fear of a system that offers her no justice, no protection."
The woman told this newspaper that the teen is still "trying, hanging in there", but adds that the young lady is still upset over the incident.
According to reports, the teenager had gone to the upper flat of the Campbellville building that she worked in, to take something for the man when he grabbed her and repeatedly raped her. The young woman was later found lying in a pool of blood and had to be rushed to the hospital.
According to the teen's mother, doctors were forced to perform emergency surgery on her. She was hospitalised for two days.
But the ordeal did not end there. While still hospitalised, several relatives of the alleged perpetrator reportedly approached and asked the teen to marry the man who raped her, so as to "settle" the matter. Both the girl and her mother refused the arrangement.
The woman said the man who raped her daughter was initially arrested by the police and later released. To date, no charges have been laid.
According to her, based on advice from her lawyer, she took her daughter to see the Commander of `A' Division. She said that after listening to her, the officer ordered that the perpetrator be arrested and charged.
"To my astonishment, when on Wednesday 14 August I appeared with my daughter at the Kitty Police Station for her to go through the confrontation process, I discovered that the rapist is still free as a bird and carrying on with his normal life...My daughter has vehemently denied having any relationship with this [man]. She has admitted knowing him for just a few weeks, as she assisted in the running of a business which is situated on the ground floor of his mother's property with whom he shares the upper flat. This business opened on July 10, 2002 and she worked six days a week under constant supervision and strict guidance," the teen's mother stated.
Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent David Ramnarine told Stabroek News late last week that an "important" signature was holding up the investigations, because the rank was on leave. He, however, gave assurances that the matter is still being looked at.
Meanwhile, the woman said the alleged rapist has been seen passing through her street with his "big car and loud music". She claimed too, that whenever she sees the man's mother, the woman just smiles at her.
"It is as if she saying, `We got money, we can do whatever we want'," the still grieving woman lamented.