The six-year-old East Canje, Berbice girl badly beaten by her mother on Sunday is slowly recovering and her father is now keeping vigil over her at the Georgetown Hospital.
The girl suffered a fractured skull and other injuries. The mother has been taken into custody.
The child’s mother has since confessed to beating the six-year-old with a piece of wood then dumping her into a nearby swampy area after the child became unconscious.
The woman, who was arrested after the child was discovered on Sunday last, reportedly told investigators that she had dressed the child to be picked up by her father who has visitation rights on Sundays.
However, the mother and child decided to go for a walk before the father arrived, and the child started to play in some bushes.
She claimed that she yelled at the child to stop playing in the bushes as she would get her clothes dirty, but after the child did not listen she used the piece of wood to deal the child several lashes.
After the child became unconscious she decided to leave her in the swampy area and told the child’s grandparents after sometime had elapsed, that the child was missing.
The grandparents and residents on Sunday launched a search and discovered the child in the swampy area. She was rushed to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, then transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Commander of Region Six, Jairam Ramlakhan, yesterday confirmed that the file has been sent to the DPP for advice.
Meanwhile, the child’s father, a 33-year-old taxi driver, when contacted yesterday, told Stabroek News that he was on the East Canje Public Road heading to pick up his daughter when he was informed that they had found her injured body.
He related her mother would only say that she had no idea where the child was before the unconscious girl was discovered. At that point, the father said that it never crossed his mind that the mother was responsible for the beating.
The father disclosed yesterday that the child has since been moved from the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit to the children’s ward. According to the man, his daughter has since said her name, age, and asked to use the washroom.
In addition to the fractured skull, the six-year-old girl also has a cut above her eye, three more cuts on her head and both of her eyes are swollen, her father relayed.
The doctors have informed him that his daughter is expected to recover but it will take some time.
Meanwhile, the father yesterday said he learned of the mother’s confession through the media while he was at the hospital. “I coulda swear that they had nuttin to do with this,” he said.
However, he did recall that his daughter had twice reported to him that her mother had beaten her. He confronted the mother on both occasions and she told him that the child was stubborn. “But I thought was just two lash on the shoulder or something,” he said.
According to the father, he and the woman were together for about eight years and have two daughters ages 6 and 5 years. However, just over three years ago the two decided to separate and decided that the now injured daughter would remain with her mother, while the younger daughter would stay with her father. “She [the mother] say how [injured daughter] reminds her of her when she was small and our lil daughter reminds me of my mother,” he explained.
According to the man, although he had separated from the mother he would still assist her financially in addition to taking care of his daughter.
Today his younger daughter turns five, but he says it is important that at this time he remain at his injured daughter’s bedside. “I am her father and I am trying do what I got to do, trying my utmost best to be here for her. I’m staying at the hospital right now, somebody got to be at her side,” he stated.
He also stressed that he will seek to have full custody of his daughter. “With all of this that happened to this lil girl I must get custody automatically, no questions,” the father declared yesterday.
He also noted that the mother’s parents have since made attempts to reach out to him but he prefers not to deal with them at this time.
