A headteacher in a primary school is now cooling his heels at the policy custody after allegedly r*ping a seven year old child in his office at school.
The incident happened in Suzumira Primary School in Thyolo, a town located in the Southern Region of Malawi.
Thyolo Police Officer-In-charge, Assistant Commissioner Ulemu Kaluwa has identified the headteacher as Rodrick Sanani, reports Malawi24
According to Kaluwa, Sanani allegedly r*ped the child on Monday afternoon in the headteacher’s office when she went to collect a textbook.
The child later informed her mother about the r*pe and this led to the arrest of Kaluwa by Masambanjati Police Unit.
If convicted of having sex with a child or defilement, the headteacher could face a maximum of life in prison and will lose his job.
The Eagle reports that incidences of r*pe, more so, child r*pe is becoming an increasing incidence.
In fact, a 2020 report showed r*pe cases more than doubled since 2018, with young girls as the main victims.
There are reports that this has to do with a number of factors, including superstition
Some of such reports cite the deep belief in many quarters in the country that defiling a minor brings luck or wealth.
Spokesperson for Malawi Police Service James Kadadzera had previously been quoted as expressing particular concern over the substantial rise in cases of r*pe against minors compared to cases involving adults.
“As far as r*pe is concerned, in 2020 though we are remaining with December to wrap up the year, we have already registered 423 cases. However, statistics to do with defilement [are] very alarming. In 2020, though we are not yet done with December, we have already registered 1,738 cases,” Kadadzera told VOA.
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The medium referred to figures from the National Statistics Office showing the rate of s*xual abuse cases rising to about 35% higher than the same period.
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