Man sentenced to 5 years jail for raping a 14-year-old

Friday, 27 January 2012

A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to 5 years jail and fined 2 million (KHR) by a court in Battambang for raping a 14-year-old girl.

Early last year, SISHA received a call from Battambang police to provide aftercare services to a girl who had been raped in her home by a neighbor while her parents were at the local market. A SISHA Aftercare Assistant travelled to Battambang to facilitate aftercare, medical and legal arrangements for the girl and her family; services that the victim would not usually have access to. The girl was told about a World Vision shelter where she could live while the police carried out the investigation.

The police quickly apprehended a suspect who was known to the victim and her family. Our aftercare assistant travelled with the girl to be interviewed by police to verify the identity of the offender and was introduced to a SISHA Legal Assistant who arranged a lawyer to be assigned to the case.

The victim agreed to have a lawyer from Cambodia ACTs (Cambodia Against Child Trafficking) to take on her case and prosecute the offender. The Aftercare and Legal Assistants, along with a member of SISHA’s Operations Team, went with the victim and her lawyer to attend her court interview and then returned to await the outcome of the trial.

It has been eight months since her first court interview, and the victim’s family and everyone involved are delighted to know the rapist is behind bars. The victim and her family, while pleased with the result, are now ready to move on with their lives. As many rape cases are never prosecuted, the SISHA team is striving for many more convictions.

SISHA’s Aftercare and legal Assistants maintained a close relationship with the girl and are pleased to report she is learning English, Khmer and mathematics while deciding her future.

A victory in the eyes of the SISHA team, with many more to come!