Father claims his daughter was sexually abused in shelter

Dubai: Police are investigating the claims of a father who has alleged that his five-year-old daughter was sexually abused at a shelter.

The father, an Indian, said his daughter Victoria had not yet celebrated her fifth birthday when she was kidnapped by his wife and forced to stay at the City of Hope, a shelter run by Sharla Musabih.

He has claimed Victoria was molested by a number of women and two teenagers at the shelter.

The father told Gulf News that three Ethiopian women, called Yashi, Hakima and Zanoba, a Sudanese woman identified as Awatif and a Russian woman identified as Victoria, who is a mother of two children, used to beat, assault and sexually harass his daughter.

"Two teenagers, called John and Mike, sexually abused my daughter with the help of these women. The teenagers lived in a compound adjacent to Musabih's shelter," he said.

According to the father Victoria was examined by a gynaecologist who said she had been molested. The doctor asked the father to report the matter to police and to take her to a government hospital. The father said three private clinics said she was suffering from a fungal infection in her vagina.

The father said his lawyer, Badr Abdullah Hussain, reported the case to Bur Dubai Police station on April 16.

Victoria told police that the first time they molested her was at night when she was watching TV alone. The two teenagers went upstairs and carried her downstairs.

Victoria said she was very frightened. She said they took her near the Russian woman's room, where the other women were.

Victoria told police that they took off her clothes and she started screaming and crying. The boys were slapping and hitting her stomach and they sexually molested her.

After that Yashi took her naked upstairs to her mother's room. Victoria told police that she was molested several times by the same people in different places as they used to take her to nearby villas.

Victoria told police that they used to tape her mouth or fill it with paper, or silence her with their hands. The father said his wife, identified as Evona, had kidnapped his daughter from school after a family dispute with the aid of Musabih and a helper called Suzan. The child stayed at the City of Hope for 55 days.

"I tried desperately to see my daughter but Musabih never allowed me. She threatened me with the police. I got help from the Women and Children Welfare Organisation in Goa. The presidents of the organisation, Auda Veigas and Martha Mascarenscas, helped us to see Victoria after contacting the commissioner for NRIs. The commissioner sent a letter to the Indian Consulate and to the human rights section at Bur Dubai police station to help me rescue my daughter."

'Dirty condition'

He said Veigas and Mascarenscas went to City of Hope and were shocked over the "disgusting" condition of the shelter, which they described as unhygienic and dirty.

Veigas said the child seemed to have been subjected to sexual abuse and needed to be rescued.

"I stayed with Victoria in the shelter for three hours. She was tired and wanted to go home. The condition of the shelter was appalling.

Veigas said Victoria was very ill and was suffering from fever. We begged Musabih to let us take Victoria to a clinic. The father was able to take his daughter home with him.

Collectng evidence

Dubai Police have confirmed that a case of molestation has been registered and they are investigating the matter.

Lt Colonel Saleh Ali Humaid Obaid, director of Bur Dubai Police station, said the family reported the case to the police. "We are investigating the case of sexual molestation. We are collecting evidence and the case will be transferred to the Public Prosecutor when we finish our investigations," Lt Col Obaid said.

Gulf News tried to contact Sharla Musabih, but was told she had left for the US. Police said that they wanted to question Musabih as an Iranian woman had also filed a complaint against her, but they could not contact her because she had left.