A father is agonising over the fate of his three-year-old daughter, who was molested allegedly by a relative, as he believes she may be further harmed since she was returned to the same environment.

Speaking with Stabroek News yesterday, the father related that he and the child’s mother no longer live together but he has visitation rights. He said that one day while his daughter was at his home playing with friends he observed that her action towards another child was of a sexual nature.

He said he became alarmed and questioned his daughter about what she had done and she told him that the relative would usually do that to her. The man said he called the child’s mother who told him that she too was told about the allegation the child was making and that she would deal with the matter.

However, out of fear for his daughter’s well-being the father made a report at the Sparendaam Police station on December 21. He said the officer there refused to take his report seriously so he approached the Ministry of Human Service’s Child Protection Agency which arranged for a medical for the child to be done.

The father said the medical was done at the Georgetown Public Hospital on December 28, following which the child was placed on medication to treat a sexually transmitted infection that was diagnosed.

However, the father is upset at the treatment he received at the Sparendaam Police Station. He said that after the results of the medical were received, the alleged abuser was arrested but the man was released the same day and he (the father) was threatened with arrest for making a false report.

However, he said, after he gave a statement, the relative was again arrested, but was placed on station bail and might be back in the environment where the child is.

Contacted, ‘C’ Division Commander Balram Persaud said what the father is saying is “far from the truth”. He said he was unaware of any initial report not being taken seriously while telling this newspaper that the man was convicted for domestic abuse and can “say what he want to say”.

Defending his division on the handling of the matter, Persaud said the father did not tell the station that he had taken the matter up with the Child Protection Agency which then referred the medical to the Brickdam Police Station. However, he confirmed that the matter is under investigation after the father submitted a written statement on Thursday. He admitted that the relative was held and released on bail.

Persaud went on to reiterate that the father neglected to tell the Sparendaam station that the matter was taken up at the  Human Services Ministry but confirmed that an officer went yesterday to pick up the medical and other reports at the Brickdam station.

Persaud said too that the matter was basically a fight for the child, but the police are dealing with it and will then seek advice “and that’s the way we’ll go”.

Meanwhile, the father told this newspaper that when the results of the medical were obtained, the child was taken from the mother but there was subsequently a meeting with the director of the Child Protection Agency where the mother “cry down” and accused him of the act and the child was returned to the mother.

Contacted yesterday, director of the Child Protection Agency Ann Green said she was not in a position to provide background on the matter and this newspaper should contact her on Monday.

When the mother was contacted, she directed this newspaper to the Sparendaam Police Station.