12-year-old girl battles for her life after being 'set on fire' by mom

By ANN ZULU

A 12 year old girl (name withheld) is battling for her life at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) after her she was burnt by her mother for allegedly stealing K40.

According to witnesses, the victim’s mother identified as Prudence Phiri of Lusaka’s old Kanyama Compound poured Kerosene on her daughter’s body and set her alight because she allegedly stole her money.

The victim’s grandmother, only identified as Bana-kulu Blessing who is also the mother to the suspect said she is devastated by her daughter’s act.

She told this reporter in an interview yesterday, that she did not really know what transpired, as she was not present when the incident occurred.

She said she was just informed by neighbors that her granddaughter had been burnt by her mother for allegedly stealing K40.

“I am very confused right now. I don’t really know why my daughter did that to her own child because I have not sat down with her since the incident happened to find out what went wrong. I was just called on Thursday by some people who took my granddaughter to the hospital that she has been burnt for stealing money.

Bana-kulu Blessings lamented that her granddaughter was in pain and that she only pray for God’s intervention.

“I can’t help seeing her condition. She is in pain, confused and she doesn’t know what is happening around her, I only pray to God that He heals her. The wounds are too much,” she said.

And Police Spokesperson Esther Mwata Katongo confirmed that the suspect has been arrested.

Ms Katongo said the suspect has not yet been charged, as police are still investigating the matter.

She however, disclosed that the suspect is likely to be charged with either assault occasioning actual bodily harm or assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

Meanwhile, the Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) Chairperson Beauty Katebe has described the incident as criminal.

Ms Katebe charged that it was horrendously barbaric of Prudence, the mother to the victim, to set on fire her own daughter even if she did stole the money.

She has since called for justice to prevail regardless of the relationship between the victim and the suspect. 

“If she is found guilty, then she must be jailed. It doesn’t matter whether she is the mother to the child, what she did is totally unacceptable and barbaric. Even if the child stole that money, she shouldn’t have gone to that extent.

“Such a person does not deserve to live with people in society, jail is a place for such people, because if is she can do that to her own child, what about other children and people who are not related to her? This shows that she can do worse than that,” She said.

Ms Katebe further counselled women to use appropriate methods when disciplining children.

“Torturing a child is not the solution, it does not change the child nor bring about appropriate behaviour. There are correct methods of disciplining a child, you don’t have to be brutal or use an object. You can correct a child, just by talking to them and they will listen,” Ms Katebe said.

And Media Network on Children’s Rights and Development (MNCRD) director Henry Kabwe has called on government and stakeholders to scale up their efforts in ensuring Child protection in Zambia.

Mr Kabwe said the growing trend of children being abused and tortured in the country was worrisome and needed to be addressed urgency.

“The increasing number of cases of Children being abused and tortured especially by people close to them should be a wakeup call to us as a country, the fact that this incidents have continued to occur shows that we have not done enough,” Mr Kabwe said.