Rivers State Police Command don arrest one Mrs Oluchi Chinedu Nkemjika for malicious assault and child abuse because she allegedly pour hot water on her 9-year old house help body.
Di girl currently dey critical condition for hospital sake of di serious burns she suffer from di hot water wey her madam pour her as all her back and buttocks get severe burns.
Tori be say Oluchi allegedly pour di househelp di hot water because she beat her pikin and na neighbours wey report di matter to police.
Sam Chukwuejina, di neighbour wey report di matter to police say e touch am wen im see di degree of burns for di small girl body and di fact say di madam bin dey hide her inside house for four days.
“Wen we ask di madam, she say she dey go chemist go buy drugs wey she dey take treat her for house but wen I see di girl, I say no, we must go report for Egbelu Police Station.”
Chukwuejina wey be di chairman of Paradise Avenue wia di madam dey live with di girl say dem get to put pressure on her before she release di girl come ask police to investigate di matter well well.
Rivers Police Command say dis na serious offence under child rights law so dem transfer di case to di State Criminal Investigation Department to handle.
Wetin Child Rights law tok about cases like dis?
Mrs. Adata Bio-Briggs wey be lawyer with Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIDA) say dem also dey chook eye for dis matter.
She say FIDA don get plenty reports about such abuses wia Madams dey abuse housemaid wey dey stay with dem with severe beating, starvation, and different types of assault like to dey flog di housemaid with wire, put pepper for her private part, use hot iron press for di housemaid body and even pour hot water on dem.
Adata Bio-Briggs say di Child Rights Law and Violence against persons Prohibition laws address dis kain cases.
She say by di Child Rights law, pikin wey dey 9-years old or under 18 years, no suppose dey work househelp work for pesin wey no be her direct relation, so di first offence na dat of child labour.
“For me dis na case of attempted murder because di madam boil water take pour di girl, no be to kill her be dat? So na case of attempted murder, assault and causing grievous bodily harm as e dey for law.
For Child labour, Section 29 Sub 3 of Child Rights law say any pesin wey dey guilty upon conviction go either pay fine of N500,000 or serve five years imprisonment or both.
Den for causing grievous harm, section 2 sub 2(1) of di Violence against persons Prohibition VAPP Act say upon conviction di pesin go pay fine of N100,000 or go five years imprisonment or both. So e depend on di legal advice as na im go determine di charge dem go bring against di woman.”
She add say di major challenge dem dey face for cases like dis na say families of victims of child abuse dey like settle and withdraw matter from police so dat dey frustrate di process.
Police Tok-tok pesin SP Nnamdi Omoni say even though di family of di 9 year old girl dey ask to withdraw di case, di matter now na State offence and dem go charge am go court even if both families settle.
Source: bbc.com
