Please pray for justice for young Saiba!
In January BPCA reported on the devastating rape of Saiba a three year old child whilst her mother was out of the home working as a sanitary worker at
Government hospital to cover the regular living expenses for their household.
Now 7 months later Saiba’s mother Catherine is still fighting for justice for her daughter and a conviction for the rapist whose brutal attack now means
Saiba can never bear children.
We spoke with her lawyer Khurram Shezad today who advised us on her case. He said:
“Saiba’s case is being heard within the session court at Bhawalnagar however we have had several delays as the solicitor who should have been appearing for Mr Muhammed Abbas, failed to turn up at any hearing.
Mehwish Bhatti regularly meets the family.
Mr Shezad informed us that at the last hearing which was on 3rd July the presiding judge has directed that a legal aid lawyer will now represent Mr Abbas
and the next hearing is to be heard on 13th July. Catherine Bibi is now at breaking point the court process has been draining and she desperately
wants the court to bring justice to this situation through a conviction. She explained to BPCA officer Mehwish Bhatti that she just wants closure now.
Catherine has called for prayers from the Christian community across the globe for justice and healing for her daughter. She said:
“My daughter is innocent of any crime at such a young and vulnerable age she has been subjected to a most brutal and evil attack, from a man with no morals. If this evil rapist is jailed it will not remove the vile treatment my daughter suffered.
“I call on prayers from anyone moved by my daughter’s plight. Please pray that she is completely healed and can one day have children which is a natural process designed by God and a real blessing for women.”
In a country without a benefits system single mother Catherine Bibi (38 yrs) was forced to leave her younger 10 year old son Daud behind to care for Saiba,
while she worked long hard cleaning shifts at the local hospital and eldest son Altaf Masih (21 yrs) worked as a rickshaw driver. Leaving older children
in charge of young children is a very normal occurrence in feudal Pakistan, where families live a meagre existence with little or no help from their government.
While the adults were out a Muslim friend of Altaf named Muhammed Abbas knocked on the door of Catherine’s house to ask if Altaf was home. When he
discovered that Altaf was not at home he sent Daud on an errand to the local shop to buy some cigarettes for him. Whilst Daud was out he raped Saiba
– leaving Daud waiting outside for him to open the door. When he finished his assault on Saiba he walked out of the property grabbing the cigarettes bought
by Daud. He lit one cigarette thanked Daud for buying them and rushed off after a quick apology for leaving Daud outside his own home for a short
while.
Daud entered the property to find his sister screaming loudly. Saiba was naked and covered in blood and Daud in his panic did not know what to do
he started to cry and held his sister tightly. Fortunately only minutes later mother Catherine returned from work and despite her shock took charge of
the situation.
She called her son home and the whole family travelled to nearby DHQ Hospital which was in their price range and asked for an investigation of what had
happened to Saiba. The hospital confirmed a rape had occurred and despite the anguish and pain they felt Catherine and her family travelled to the
local police station to seek an investigation into the attack and the apprehension of paedophile Muhammed Abbas.
Initially police refused to investigate the rape which the family believe is due to the fact that the complainants were Christian. However after the visit
of a local MP who exerted pressure on the Police an investigation ensued. Read full story (click here)
Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said:
“A young child suffered one of the most harrowing experiences she will ever know throughout her life. Saiba has had to undergo surgery that should not be necessary for a perfectly healthy child and is now unable to bear children.
“Saiba is a darling of a child bubbly and vivacious with a totally endearing personality and beautiful smile, why an evil paedophile would enact such pain on her is beyond my understanding.
“My Christian faith leads me to totally abhor this crime and like so many people moved by this atrocious incident I want justice for Saiba, not only for her sake but for the sake of 10 year old Daud who is feels steeped in guilt, despite also being an innocent victim. Moreover, I pray this rapist is jailed for a long term so that other children do not have to face the malevolent evil Mr Abbas would inflict upon them.
“The fact that police ignored the plight of this family due to a belief that Christians are undesirable elements of society is a poor indictment of the justice system of Pakistan. A failure to convict Mr Abbas despite a raft of evidence would quite simply destroy their international reputation and nullify any claim that they are a democratic nation.”
BPCA continue to provide financial support for this family. The family require help towards living costs and schooling enabling Catherine to care for her children while they grow and send them to school. We intend to help this family for the long term until the children have grown to adulthood and are no longer so vulnerable. We need your support to do this. If you would like to help us assist this family then you can donate by clicking
(here)
Saiba is still bubbly and jovial but one day she will have to come to terms with the attack that has scarred her for life.