Police deny child abuse allegation
What you need to know:
A number of media reported yesterday that the infant’s mother from Makongoro street (name withheld), was admitted to the Dodoma Referral Hospital due to the abuse she and her daughter endured
Dodoma. There were contradicting accounts on claims that a six-month-old baby was forced into a cupboard as her 15-year-old mother endured more than a year of torture from her employer.
But even as the mother of the infant continued to insist that she was tortured while her baby was hidden in a cupboard, police yesterday refuted the claims.
A number of media reported yesterday that the infant’s mother from Makongoro street (name withheld), was admitted to the Dodoma Referral Hospital due to the abuse she and her daughter endured in the hands of her boss.
However, speaking to reporters yesterday, the police - who admitted that initial investigations indicated that the infant’s mother was abused by her employer - said there was no substantive proof that the infant was forced into a cupboard.
Dodoma Police Commander Gilles Muroto said the law enforcers’ investigation that was carried out at the suspect’s house did not prove if the infant was hidden in the cupboard.
“We are holding the suspect over torture against her employee. But we failed to find any clue that the infant was hidden in a cupboard as reports have been indicating,” said Mr Muroto.
On Wednesday residents in the region flocked Dodoma Referral Hospital after the 15-year-old girl and her child were admitted after they were allegedly abused by the girl’s boss.
The girl, who worked as a househelp, was allegedly subjected to constant beatings and other forms of abuse by her employer including being forced to hide her kid in a cupboard.
Information provided by the Makongoro local government chairperson, Ms Zena Chiuja, indicated that the abuse came to light after one of the traders in the area raised the alarm after seeing the girl with a lot of injuries.
Ms Chiuja said after they questioned the girl she opened up about the torture that she had been subjected to by her employer.
Ms Chiuja explained that the woman involved had a record of treating her house helps and employees in a very cruel manner and that once she was forced to take in a girl who was under her care due to mistreatment.
She said her boss, who had agreed to help them, had prohibited her from breastfeeding the girl during working hours.
