THYOLO-(MaraviPost)-Human rights activist Memory Chisenga,has expressed concern, sadness, and anger over how the Masambanjati Police and Thekelani Hospital in Thyolo handled a case involving four children, aged between 8 and 14, who were abused in October.
In an interview with with Maravi Post, Chisenga said that the police and hospital are supposed to protect children from abuse, but in this case, their handling of the situation appeared to undermine justice and allowed the abuse to go unaddressed.
She called on relevant authorities to investigate the matter thoroughly and hold accountable anyone who failed to fulfill their duty to protect the abused children.
The human rights activist further urged the police and all child protection officials that if they are unwilling or unable to perform their roles properly, it would be better for them to step down.
In October this year, the parents of the four children from the Mbawela area in Thyolo reported to the Masambanjati Police that a 30-year-old man had been sexually abusing their children using Jiggies (condoms) and threats of violence to silence them.
After arresting the suspect, the police released him on bail without following proper procedures, citing a report from Thekelani Hospital, which claimed that nothing had happened to the children.
This directly contradicted findings by the organization Youth Youth Net and Counseling (YONECO), which, after taking the children to the Thyolo Government Hospital, found that two of the four children had indeed been abused.
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