Hostel rape scandal rocks Windhoek primary school

Three boys from a primary school in Windhoek have been suspended for allegedly raping a Grade 1 pupil at the school’s hostel.

The pupils have been staying at the hostel since the start of the academic year.

The school’s principal yesterday confirmed that the boys were suspended on Saturday, adding that the school is awaiting a formal report from social workers before commenting further.

“At the moment we have no comment. We are waiting for a report from the social worker,” she said.

She declined to provide details on the exact grades the three alleged perpetrators are in as they are also minors.

The eldest boy is 14, and the others, whose ages are unknown, are younger, The Namibian understands.

The principal said the school’s hostels have a strict security policy and currently have the necessary supervision guidelines in place.

Khomas regional director of education, arts, and culture Paulus Nghikembua yesterday said his office has received a report on the incident from the school.

“We can verify that we have obtained the report. Such incidents fall under the regulations of the Basic Education Act,” he said.

Nghikembua said in situations involving minors, his office adheres to the Basic Education Act to notify the executive director’s office after evaluating the situation and to obtain additional assistance.

The family of the six-year-old says they only learned of the alleged incident when they visited the hostel over the weekend.

A family spokesperson, whose identity cannot be revealed to protect the minor, yesterday said the boy told his family that the older boys had raped him.

“The child informed us that he was raped on Saturday when we dropped off his hostel things. He told us that he sometimes shares a bed with the 14-year-old,” he said.

The Grade 1 pupil was placed in the hostel by his grandmother as she was living at the village.

Following the disclosure of the incident, the boy was taken to Katutura Intermediate Hospital where he was examined by a doctor in the presence of a police officer from the Gender-Based Violence Protection Unit.

However, the doctor could not confirm whether penetration had occurred and informed the family that certain details could not be determined from the medical examination.

“The doctor informed us that he couldn’t determine whether penetration had occurred, and if it had happened, it was only at surface level,” he said.

The family said they were informed they cannot report the incident to the police at this stage of the investigation as the police do not intervene in cases involving minors.

The investigation is now in the hands of the social workers who have not yet interviewed the boy due to a language barrier, the family spokesperson said.

“We are still waiting for a report from the social workers who are currently investigating, but they have not been able to interview the child because of a language barrier,” he said.

The family has expressed concern about the safety of younger children at school hostels, particularly because of the lack of measures to separate them from older pupils.

“We are worried about the hostel’s environment and the failure of the hostel superintendent to create a space where children can report such incidents without fear,” the spokesperson said.

They are calling for the proper separation of older and younger pupils.

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