Abu Dhabi: It's her seventh day in coma and 11-year-old, Loujain Hussain, who was attacked by a group of boys in her school for unidentified reason, has developed lung infection.
Doctors have told the family that they would prefer to keep the victim sedated to avoid the young girl suffering from any shock.
"Loujain's reaction might not help her recovery if she sees and feels all the tubes on her when she comes out of her coma," Mahran Hussain, 22, her older brother, told Gulf News Wednesday.
She suffered a brain haemorrhage following the horrific attack in school. "The doctors have advised to keep her sedated because they are worried about her reaction," he said.
Argument
A week ago, Loujain, a Grade 7 pupil at the Al Ma'ali International Private School, was injured after an argument in school which unfortunately turned violent during the recess.
Loujain and her friends were beaten by four pupils from Grade 4.
Since the attack, Loujain has been undergoing treatment at the Shaikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), where officials have declined to comment due to confidentiality.
"We are overwhelmed by the number of people who have approached us to provide support and words of encouragement," Hussain, an Iranian expatriate, added.
Despite continued attempts to make contact with the school's principal, Gulf News was unable to get in touch with her for feedback on the issue.
Police and officials from the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) have confirmed that they are investigating the matter, but have declined to provide any additional information.
Gulf News readers have expressed shock at what happened to Loujain, with one Abu Dhabi-based reader saying: "It is shocking and shameful that there were teachers and staff around and they could not stop the incident from happening.
"What kind of people are these? It's these people that have to be dealt with firmly. Their apathy is condemnable."
Lionel Chee from Doha, Qatar also noted that: "Education starts at the home. The parents are responsible for their children's behaviour. I hope the victim will recover fully very soon."
Witness speaks out
L.J. was among those attacked by the Grade 4 pupils. She told Gulf News that it was triggered when a boy accidentally pushed one of Loujain's friends onto one of the aggressors.
"We were playing one of our favourite games when my friend got pushed into a Grade 4 pupil. She apologised and he said that it was fine. But then he came back with a group and they began pushing and hitting us," the 11 year old said.
"My friends and I got bruised but they really hurt Loujain because she started screaming…one of the boys who had a Barbican glass bottle began hitting her with it and she tried to get away by leaning against a wall," L.J. said.
"We were very scared because the boys are all tall and strong…even the teachers have a hard time controlling them," she added.
There were no teachers or supervisors around and when recess ended, the pupils initially brought Loujain to class. However, when she vomited and complained of pain, they took her to the nurse.
"We did not know what happened after that…but now, everyone knows and they are all being very careful so it does not happen again….there are also now at least six or seven teachers in the playground," she said.
According to L.J., the four boys, who are from different Arab nationalities, are still in school.
"We had an assembly yesterday and our principal told us that they will continue the school year but will not return next year…also, glass bottles have been banned from our school," she claimed.
Witness: Pupil narrates incident
L.J. was among those attacked by the Grade 4 pupils. She told Gulf News that it was triggered when a boy accidentally pushed one of Loujain's friends onto one of the aggressors.
"We were playing one of our favourite games when my friend got pushed into a Grade 4 pupil. She apologised and he said that it was fine. But then he came back with a group and they began pushing and hitting us," the 11 year old said.
"My friends and I got bruised, but they really hurt Loujain because she started screaming … one of the boys who had a glass bottle began hitting her with it and she tried to get away by leaning against a wall," L.J. said.
"We were very scared because the boys are all tall and strong … even the teachers have a hard time controlling them," she added.
There were no teachers or supervisors around and when the recess ended, the pupils initially brought Loujain to class. However, when she vomited and complained of pain, they took her to the nurse.
"We did not know what happened after that … but now, everyone knows and they are all being very careful so it does not happen again … there are also now at least six or seven teachers in the playground," she said.
According to L.J., the four boys, who are from different Arab nationalities, are still in school.
"We had an assembly yesterday and our principal told us that they will continue the school year, but will not return next year … also, glass bottles have been banned from our school," she said.
