EASTERN PROVINCE

BUGESERA—-Three underage girls at Nyamata primary school have been sexually abused on "different occasions,” according to school authorities recently. 

The girls—names withheld—are between the ages of 15 and 19 years.

The alleged incidents took place throughout the previous academic year, for which school authorities are now in the midst of investigations.

One girl is suspected to have been pregnant. 

The school’s head teacher Vincent Kayinamura said last week that one of the girls, in Primary-6, was raped and impregnated.

Kayinamura also said the girl reported the matter two months after the alleged incident.

Another female pupil, in Primary-5 started the first term pregnant and later dropped out of school.

Efforts by school authorities to find the father were futile.

The third case, maybe the most damning, involved a pupil in Primary-4 who confessed that she had slept with "several men” and could not easily tell who had impregnated her.

Other two girls have since disappeared from school and even their relatives have failed to trace them.

School authorities have expressed concern that the police released one suspect, a taxi driver who had been arrested in connection with the first case without charging him.

The issue was first raised at a recent meeting organised by members of the house of deputies to discuss population explosion at Nyamata youth center.

At the meeting one of the teachers from the school, Stephanie Mukantabana, said fighting sexual abuse was being undermined by police by releasing suspects without charges. 

"We endeavor to educate the pupils about family planning and their body changes but its saddening to find young girls, some as young as in Primary-3, pregnant,” Mukantabana said.

"But you find that they have been impregnated not by their fellow pupils but by men of integrity; some are married men, some are army and police.”

Medical reports, though, show one of the victims was in fact not pregnant, prompting police to release the suspect.

The girl has since returned to class.

"If there were evidence to suggest that there was sexual penetration then certainly we could not release the fellow,” an officer who preferred not to be named because of protocol said.

He added that the file was forwarded to prosecution under number 239/DP/07/BS/NYMTA.

The headmaster said sexual abuses against many school girls have continued to sour the country due to failure by girls to report cases early.

Ends