In Their Own Words
Sexual Assault Accusations
Many of the pre-trial detention kids have been accused of sexual assault. Karim verifies that some sentences given are most likely valid, and he holds counseling sessions for juvenile sexual offenders so that they will leave with self respect, honoring clear boundaries of men and women alike. However, many of these stories carry a degree of doubt, as it seems that it is quite easy for adults to accuse young boys and adults of sexually assaulting their daughter in order to win a land dispute or break up couples that the parents don’t approve of. Police bribery greases the wheels. As far as I am concerned, those who falsely accuse others should be the ones who end up behind bars, but so far, I have not heard of this happening. How can you report a false accusation to the very police who were themselves part of the false narrative? I will be doing more interviews as it paints a sketch of the criminology trends in Madagascar.
All names have been changed to protect identities.
The photos displayed do not depict the persons described in the narrative.
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“I am from Fort Dauphin (in the far south) because my father was from there. I had been teaching high school in a private Catholic institution. When my father died, we all relocated to my mother’s ancestral home, here in Morondava. Unfortunately there was a land dispute between my mother and her relatives. In a bid to gain an advantage in the dispute, one of her relatives falsely accused me of inappropriate behavior toward her young daughter. They bribed the police, leading to my wrongful conviction. I am serving a five year sentence and I have finished four. The only way I have kept sane is by continuing my teaching career here in jail, out of compassion for others.”
“They bribed the police, leading to a wrongful conviction
“My name is Frankie. I am 16 years old. I recently passed my school exams and celebrated by partying with my friends. There was one particular girl I liked, and we danced together most of the evening. The next day, one girl's parents accused me of sexual assault, because they didn’t approve of our mutual attraction. They claimed that their daughter was ten years old and of course that wasn’t true. Without any inquiry, I was put into prison and the girl was never asked to testify. I have a friend who has agreed to be a witness, but has never been summoned. I have finished two hearings but have no idea when my sentencing will happen .”
“They claimed their daughter was 10 years old and of course that wasn’t true. “
“My name is Ado. I am seventeen years old and the youngest of seven siblings. There was a girl I liked and her father was against us going out. He put a rape charge against me and bribed the police to back up the story. My sentence is two years and eight months. I have served only eight months so far, so have two years left. Every few weeks my parents come and brings me food. The girl’s mother feels sorry for me so she regularly visits and brings me food too. But the girl’s father doesn’t feel badly for his deed. I share my food with friends who are hungry.”
“The girl’s mother feels sorry for me and brings me food”
“My name is Tahiry am 17 years old. I love school and used to study with a girl, who was not my "girlfriend." One day her parents saw us casually walking together and jumped to conclusions.They were totally set against their daughter being friends with anyone from my tribe and falsely accused me of rape. In 2020 the judge sentenced me to five years in jail. I was assigned a government lawyer, but he was no help. I have served three years and have about two years remaining. At times,the monotony of prison life feels unbearable, I feel stuck, never moving ahead. The worst is missing my mother and father. I only see them every two or three months. We are given food two times a day but are hungry at night. I don’t sleep well at night because it is stifling hot, even when I take off my shirt. Although there are fights sometimes, in general we all get along. I think that it is important to live in love and harmony since we are all stuck here together .”
The worst is missing my mother and father.
I only see them every two or three months.
“In this way he got out of repaying his debt “
“My name is Rabezato. I am fourteen years old. Someone borrowed money from my father and when the time came for repayment, he bribed the police to back up the story that I had raped his young daughter. In this way, he got out of repaying his debt. I have been here eight months and have had two hearings. I carry a five year rape charge. My parents are separated. Only once has my mother visited and brought me food.”
“They roughly tied my wrists together with rope. “
“The neighbor accused me of raping his daughter
so he could to take our land.“
“My name is Fano. I am 17 years old and from Vohimar. My mom is dead. My father lives in Diego and put me in charge of farming our land. The neighbor accused me of raping his daughter in order to get me out of the way, and take over our land. He succeeded. My sentence is five years and I have served one and a half years so far. No one knows that I am here.”