Thousands of survivors of the quake and tsunami that hit Central Sulawesi last month have been evacuated to nearby cities after the region was devastated by the twin disasters, but some haven’t found safe haven in their places of refuge.
One 7-year-old girl from Palu, identified by her initials SH, who had taken refuge in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, may have suffered even more trauma after she was reportedly raped by three youths on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the police, SH was playing alone when the three suspects abducted her and dragged her to a nearby field, where they took turns sexually assaulting her.
“After carrying out their act, the suspects dropped off the victim to the front of her house. When she went inside, the victim was in pain and she told her family what happened,” Biringkanaya Police Precinct Chief Commissioner Nugraha told Kompas yesterday.
Locals who heard about the rape then chased the three suspects but only managed to capture one of them, aged 14, who was turned in to the police. The authorities are still on the hunt for the remaining two.
The charges against the arrested suspect have not yet been announced.
Nugraha confirmed that SH is a refugee from Palu, but admitted that the authorities are having difficulty keeping track of refugees from Central Sulawesi as many of them haven’t been recorded by the local government due to the chaos and devastation in the region.
The 7.5-magnitude quake and wall of water that tore through the Palu on September 28 killed more than 2,000 and left thousands more missing, presumed dead.
Nearly 90,000 were displaced following the disaster. Officials said it could be two years before all the homeless are found permanent accommodation.
Check out our list of charity organizations working to help survivors of the Central Sulawesi disaster, many of whom are focusing on children’s welfare issues in the region.
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