Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Rape victim gets some 'help' in triage room

 Lance-Corporal Shahrul Bariah Musa


She walked in accompanied by her father and sister, shoulders slumped and looking downcast.

Nadia (not her real name) looked as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

Her escorts prodded her on as she approached the counter at the Travers police station to lodge a report on rape.

A female officer was summoned and she led Nadia to a separate room, also known as the triage room.




Nadia, 14, was the first person to receive the special treatment after Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar launched the room recently.

The room is equipped with computers connected to the police database for lodging a report and three seats for an investigating officer and victims.

The air-conditioned room also comes with a sofa, a television and a refrigerator loaded with drinks to ease the discomfort of traumatised victims.

The triage room, designed to have a calming effect, caters for victims of kidnapping, rape and other sex offences, child abuse and road accidents.

A team of trained police officers is on hand to receive and do the preliminary interview with such victims.

Nadia was provided a drink to make her comfortable.

At first, the officer steered clear of Nadia's case. Instead, they talked about her life -- school, family and hobbies.

Then, as Nadia became more relaxed and seemed more willing to open up, the officer gently probed her.

Nadia cried as she began her story, but since her environment was conducive, she eventually opened up.

She recalled that she had befriended a man a few months ago through a social networking site. The man had asked her out and she met him recently.

The man picked her up from her home in Pahang and took her to a house in Negri Sembilan.

There, the man allegedly raped her repeatedly while holding her captive for three days.

In the meantime, her parents lodged a police report over her disappearance.

Nadia said she got a lucky break on the third day, when the man left the house.

She managed to escape through the back door and made her way here to her sister.

An hour-and-a-half later, Nadia had recorded her statement.

An investigating officer then informed Nadia that she would be taken for a medical-check up immediately. Nadia was then handed back to her family.

Police are still looking for the rapist.


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