Mapuleng* 16 years who has speech, hearing and mentally disabilities was repeatedly raped by his biological father after the death of her mother in 2003 and no-body noticed anything until when the child became pregnant when the abuse secret came out with the help of child help line. The father was taken to court and sentenced for 15 years imprisonment without an option of a fine. Read the whole story…

Mapuleng* 16 years is the last born in the family of six children. Her mother died in 2003 and left with his father Nkopane Rat’somo. Mapuleng has speech and hearing as well as mental disabilities. Her first born sister Nthabiseng 36 years separated from her husband and returned home to live with her for a while.

It was February 2009 when her sister was at home and noticed that Mapuleng tummy and body was bulging. For curiosity Nthabiseng called an elderly relative and shared what she sees and suspect for her young sister.

“When I arrived, I asked the child to undressed and it was obvious that the child was pregnant with unusual enlarged breasts with a big tummy and the whole body was completely changed and puffy,” explaining the relative and grandmother Mabokang Ratsomo who later took the child to clinic.

When the grandmother also agreed that the child has all signs of pregnancy, her sister Nthabiseng was shocked and helplessly imagining who might be the father of her child. Immediately what came to her mind is child-help-line. Since its launch on May 2008, its telephone number has been advertised all over the media. When opened the radio, the child help line number was called again, with her pen she jotted down and immediately called the number.

The phone was picked by the child help line counselor ‘Mamokhetseng Raseboko who encouraged the family to take the child to health clinic for medical examination and later report the case to the village chief.

“Nthabiseng and I took the child to the nearby health centre where the nurses confirmed that the child was two months pregnant and when we asked she wrote down that it was her biological father of 60 years who had sex with her regularly,” she narrated the grandmother.

From the clinic, the sister Nthabiseng was so furious to hear that her father who she thought is a protector of this child impregnated their baby sister when the family trusted him to take care of her. From Clinic Nthabitseng, Mapuleng and grandmother went straight to the village chief to report the case.

The chief then called the Child and Gender Protection Unit (CGPU) of Lesotho Mounted Police Services (LMPS) from the nearby Morija Police station and when they arrived to the village the chief sent some men to bring the father of the child. When arrived he was asked before the chief that who impregnated his child, Mapuleng.

He first refused but when the police handcuffed him, he agreed that he was the one who impregnated her disabled child. When he was asked how many times he had sex with the child he said, so many times that he does not remember.

The father was taken and put under police custody while taking the statement from the child and other witnesses. On February 26 the case proceeded on the Maseru magistrate court where the perpetrator pleaded guilty as charge to the rape of her biological child. On February 27 the convict Nkopane Rat’somo 60 years was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment without an option of a fine. The child was later taken to hospital where the pregnancy was terminated.

Luckly Mapuleng is healthier and free from any Sexual Transmission Infection (STIs) but no one knows how the whole event affected her emotionally. The child help line counselor refer her to the counseling sessions in Maseru but due to lack of transport fees from Kueneng village in Masite, Mapuleng’s family did not afford to take her for counseling in the capital Maseru.

After the case in February 2009, Mapuleng does not want to attend school because other children in her village are mocking her that she is sleeping with his father. “One day Mapuleng went to fetch water nearby and she came running throwing the bucket crying saying other children are mocking and laughing at her.”

Mapuleng is now safe from her perpetrator because he is behind bars. However, Mapuleng has no both parents. Her sister Nthabiseng who helped her, left to look for a job in town. Mapuleng is now left under the care of relatives.

She is now an orphan left in child headed household with some relatives who come and go. Process is underway to look for a place of safety in town where she will be able to receive counseling and later look for special education boarding school where she will learn to communicate using sign language.

The Child help line was established by Lesotho Save the Children (LSC) on April 2008. Its team works closely with UN agencies, Government and other NGOs working with children to ensure the success of this project. The child help line counselors collaborate with child protection teams (made of children stakeholders such as police, teachers, pastors, counselors, caregivers, chiefs etc) from all the districts to ensure easy referral of children’s cases to relevant offices in their respective districts for immediate help.

The Lesotho Save the Children publicize the child help line free number , 80022345, in schools, church and community as well as in the media : newspaper, radio and television in order to create awareness and ensure that everybody knows about the number.

The Child Helpline Counselor ‘Malerato Masoabi says they receive at least 560 calls per month, out these calls only 18 were people who are seriously reporting child cases while the rest of the calls are people who testing the line or children that heard the number from TV and radio adverts.

Among the 18 reported cases most are reports related to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). The common reports are related to poverty, hunger, neglect, denied right to attend school, ill treatment, isolation and discrimination, property grabbing and also rape cases from both family members as well as strangers.

Masoabi indicated that cases of children are referred and addressed in collaboration with other stakeholders such as Child and Gender Protection Unit of the Lesotho Mounted Police Services, Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of education for fees, Lesotho Child Counseling Unit (LCCU) and Save the Children orphanage home.

The child help line project is funded by Global Fund Round 7 grant to the tune of US$ 1.2 million. UNICEF is also financing this project.

The grandmother and *Mapuleng during the visit
*Mapuleng not her real name but used for protection purposes.