THE case of the sexually abused girl Hannah has been submitted to the United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Hannah (not her real name) has had to endure a four-year ordeal at the hands of the Cyprus legal system, after authorities dropped all charges against her father, who she has testified time and time again to be behind the sexual abuse she suffered at the age of four.
The abuse, according to two separate private child psychologists who have monitored Hannah, was severe and systematic.
The Attorney-general justified his decision to drop the charges on the base of insufficient and unreliable evidence from the victim.
What’s worse, her mother Maria (not her real name) is now being tried for disobeying court orders forcing her daughter into seeing her father, after the Family Court awarded him full unrestricted access.
On Thursday, the case was filed to CEDAW, of which Cyprus has been a member since April 2002. “Hannah is angry with the world of adults that have failed to believe and protect her,” the report points out. “She is feeling insecure for her future and has been denied a proper rehabilitation and healing process.”
According to the President of the Supreme Court, there are 141 cases of domestic violence and abuse cases pending for more than 18 months in Cyprus, most of which are in the district where Hannah lives.
This worrying trend has raised such concern that it was even discussed at the House Legal Committee last October. But more needs to be done, which is why help has been sought from international bodies.
The violations suffered by Hannah were listed as followed by the official complaint:
l Delay in accessing the investigation procedures (February 2004-November 2005)
l Delay or lack of examining evidence in Criminal Court
l Depriving Hannah state psychological care and assessment (An essential part of her rehabilitation and also testimony of her abuse case in Court)
l The hearing at the Family Court regarding the father’s access to Hannah was taking place regardless of the proceedings at the Criminal Court
l Welfare Department never presented a report to Family Court regarding supervised visits for Hannah and her father. (The only report is the private psychologists’ report, which is not admissible to Court)
l Attorney-general never ordered a referral for psychological care to Hannah, nor was the Welfare Department claiming that the AG should order it. (Both are legally bound to do so)
l Attorney-general did not act in a way to protect the child’s rights for a quick and fair trial
l The State and its competent authorities have not used the evidence of the psychologists, forensic doctor and Hannah’s testimony within reasonable time, thus making Hannah an unreliable witness to her abuse claim
l Even after the charges were dropped against the father, there was no further investigation ordered by the police to find “who else” could have raped Hannah at the time
l Hannah has been blacklisted from travelling outside Cyprus, denying her the right of free movement and visiting her grandmother in the UK – her mother’s country of origin – from December 2005 until January 2008-02-09
l Neither Hannah or her mother have received any social welfare benefits over the past four years.
The official letter concludes: “During this process, no measures were taken to protect the safety of other children, even when information emerged that the suspected child rapist was the driver of a school bus servicing three schools.”
Man accused of indecently assaulting stepdaughter
A 37-YEAR-old man was arrested in Limassol on Friday accused of indecently assaulting his 13-year-old stepdaughter.
The man, who is not Cypriot, had been living with the girl’s mother for the past few months.
According to a statement by the young victim and her mother, the 37-year-old systematically abused the little girl last January, though thankfully had not fully sexually assaulted her due to the 13-year-old’s resistance.
Politis newspaper yesterday reported that the man had taken advantage of the girl’s mother’s absence to isolate the 13-year-old and threaten her with violence and indecent actions.
It was only last Thursday that the child spoke to her mother of the ordeal. Appalled, her mother rushed her to the nearest police station where they filed a complaint.
The suspect, according to police, has denied the charges, claiming that the victim and her mother were trying to frame him for other reasons, and that he would never even consider sexually abusing a minor.
The suspect was led before Limassol District Court, which ordered he be remanded until the trial comes to court on February 14.
