Girl reports rape by stepfather
JAKARTA (JP): A high school student has reported to the police that her stepfather and stepbrother had repeatedly raped her in the family home.
In a report she filed with the city police headquarters on Monday afternoon, the 17-year-old victim told the police that her stepfather Ibrahim, 48, and her stepbrother Rizal, 17, had raped her countless times at knifepoint over the past two months in the family home in Rawa Belong, West Jakarta.
The teenager said she could no longer bear being repeatedly raped plus she wanted to persuade her mother to take a stand against Ibrahim and so she fled to the home of her mother's sister in Cilandak, South Jakarta, two weeks ago.
In the report the teenager filed with the city police public service center, she claims that both her stepfather and stepbrother took turns in raping her continuously, every night.
"At times, Rizal would bring in some white powder, and force me to take it. He told me it would ease the pain," she said in the police report.
When a few reporters arrived at the victim's house on Jl. Asparagus, The Jakarta Post found the victim's sister playing outside the family home. When asked where her sister was, the little girl looked worried and asked, "Where's my sister? Have you seen her?"
The child ran inside the house to fetch her mother, Hassanah, 36, who explained that she had married Ibrahim two years ago.
"Ira and Ola (not their real names) are children from my first husband, Abdullah. Ira goes to high school in the Pondok Pinang area. I never expected this to happen to her," Hassanah said.
"I confronted my husband (about the rape). He swore that he did not do it. He says he nearly did though, but there was no penetration. Until it's proven that he really raped my daughter, I can't just leave my husband. My brother advised me not to."
"After Ira ran off, Rizal stopped showing up at home. He has not come home for a week at least."
She said she had noticed over the past two months that her teenage daughter had been reluctant to return home after school.
"She seemed afraid. Once I caught her telling her friends on the phone that she was physically hurt. I think her friends advised her to take care of herself. When I asked her, she did not tell me right out that it was Rizal who hurt her."
Noises
Hassanah said that nearly a month ago she heard scraping noises at her daughter's bedroom door at 5:30 a.m., a time when Hassanah wakes the children daily. She saw Rizal come out of the room.
"I entered the room and smelled smoke. I told my daughter not to lie to me. She cried and told me the truth. A few days later, she ran off to my sister's place in Cilandak," she said.
"I honestly don't know what to do. Ira is brave enough to still manage to go to school. I hope she is alright ... I cannot divorce my husband just like that." (ylt)