Parents claim daughter shunned by school

SEREMBAN: The parents of a 14-year-old girl, who alleged that she was raped by a policeman in Rembau, are now claiming that their daughter is being shunned by her school.

The girl's 36-year-old father, who works as a production operator in a factory, claimed yesterday that the school had stripped his daughter of her prefect post and demoted her from the third class to the last.

"She is in Form Three and was in the third class out of eight. But after the incident, the school administrators sent her to the last class. How can they do this to her when she is the victim?

"Instead of protecting her and giving her counselling for the trauma she endured, they are treating her like a bad person," he said.

He also claimed that his daughter was so traumatised by the incident that her studies have been affected.

"She was also very active in sport and had taken part in numerous sports competition representing her school and the district.

"But now, she hardly goes to school and is embarrassed due to fear of being shunned by her friends and teachers," he said.

The parents yesterday highlighted the matter to state Education Department director Datuk Abdullah Muhammad.

Abdullah said he would look into the matter immediately and get a report from the school principal.

"If this is true, it shouldn't happen like this... it is the school's responsibility to help a student in dealing with such situations and not make her a victim."

Efforts to reach the school principal for comment were futile.

The girl had claimed that she was raped by her policeman friend at his police quarters on March 17.

The victim also alleged that on March 20 , he punched her when the girl told him that she wanted to relate her ordeal to her mother.

On Thursday, state police chief Datuk Osman Salleh stressed that police would not protect any officer involved in crime.

The girl's father had claimed that the police were slow in taking action because the person allegedly involved was an officer who was attached to the traffic unit in Rembau.

Osman advised the parents to meet him or state Criminal Investigations Department chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zaki Masroh to find out about the case.

"We are just waiting to iron out some details before handing the case to the prosecution unit," he said, adding that the officer had been transferred out of the district police headquarters.