Dubai: A ten-year-old Indian girl kept quiet about repeated sexual advances by a karate instructor, fearing that the alleged molester would beat her father, the victim's mother has told XPRESS.
The Deira-based mother, who kept the incident under wraps for five months, said on Tuesday allegations about a similar assault against the four-year-old Modern High School student on a school bus prompted her to share her experience.
The karate instructor was let off after a warning by the police, the mother of the girl told XPRESS. However, a police comment was not immediately available.
The incident took place in September last year when the girl complained to her parents that the instructor was touching her inappropriately during karate classes at a training centre in Deira.
Parents must speak up
"As parents, it is very important that we speak up," she said, adding the sooner it is done, the better.
She said she had contacted the Al Ameen helpline of Dubai Police the next day after her daughter came back from class complaining about the instructor. She later contacted the Naif police who summoned the instructor to the police station and warned him.
She said her daughter, who used to attend karate classes with her seven-year-old brother since July, was the only girl in class.
The instructor must have subjected the girl to the ordeal a few times before she spoke up, the mother said, alleging that he would take her aside while the boys were busy with their class.
"Our daughter was afraid to complain about him earlier as she feared her father would be beaten up by the karate expert," the woman said.
"We did not want to drag our daughter to the court, but at the same time wanted action taken against the instructor."
