?Each time I hear about such horrible crimes, I am shocked!? Although no one can really prevent such crimes with miracle recipes, it is indeed shocking to hear such violence being perpetrated by people within the same family. ?We can only guess that such events would never have occurred in close and loving families. If this has happened, it could be a sign that something was missing in this family,? regrets the Ombudsperson for Children, Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra. In fact, she has not opened any enquiry on the case of the little ten year-old girl but she will ask a report from the police and from the Child Development Unit (CDU).

Now that the little girl has come out of her silence and accepted to give a statement to the police, it is a matter of making sure she will be given proper support to face this traumatising experience. The CDU is the institution responsible for guaranteeing such follow-up for victims of abuse or violence. ?As soon as a case is referred to the CDU, the officer on call must immediately go and see what has happened in the field and go along with children in each step they will have to endure,? said Wendy Rose-Gujadhur from the CDU. The statement can either be made in the CDU office ? if members of the police force can be there ? or at the police station. The CDU officers will then be with the victims during the medical exams or on reconnaissance. ?It is particularly important to be with the child when he or she will identify the suspect; this can be very traumatising for the child.?

The Child Development Unit asserts that the shelter like this one in Albion remains the last resort for all the victims of abuse because they prefer the children to be in their own environment if it does not present any danger.

While the police is the leading body up to that time, the ministry of Women and Child Welfare then takes over. ?The child is given psychological support as long as the child needs it or as long as the psychologist affected to the ministry finds it necessary,? explains the CDU officer.

The ministry wants as much as possible to make sure the child remains with some relatives. If the suspect is a close member of the family ? parents, sisters or brothers for instance ? the CDU will try and convince a more distant relative to take care of the child. ?If we realise however that the child will be in danger if he or she remains within the family, then we will have to send him/her to a shelter,? said Wendy Rose Gujadhur. She nevertheless acknowledges that the best thing for the child is to ?remain in his/her own environment; this is why we keep the shelter as the last resort. And we always keep in mind to bring him/her back home as soon as we are sure he/she is safe there?.

The child?s safety is indeed one of the main concerns of the CDU. A safety problem might occur when the suspects are released on bail. Some may want to take revenge against the person who has made the allegations for instance ? or if it is a member of the family, children could find themselves living with their torturer/s. But the CDU officer makes it clear. ?Usually the magistrate makes sure the victim will not have any contact with the suspect. It is generally one of the main conditions to obtain bail from the court.?

In any case, the officers of the ministry of Women will keep paying regular visits at the child?s place to make sure he/she is perfectly safe. ?These visits last as long as we find it necessary. It is only when we are sure that there is absolutely no danger for the child that we will stop with the visits,? concludes Wendy Rose-Gujadhur.