Abu Dhabi: Even though it’s nearly two years since a brutal schoolyard incident left Loujain Hussain bruised and in a coma, she is still withdrawn and afraid to make new friends with people her own age.
The now 13-year-old girl’s mother, Maha Hussain, told Gulf News that her youngest child, Loujain, will suffer from some of its impacts for the rest of her life, including impaired vision in the left field of both her eyes.
“Just last year, she was injured again while playing with her friends because she didn’t see a swing to her left veer towards her. It wasn’t serious, but the accident made me realise that the loss of vision means she may never be fit enough to drive,” said Hussain, an Iranian homemaker and mother-of-three.
In April 2012, Loujain was brutally attacked in a private school in the capital by a group of boys also enrolled at the institution. The then 11-year-old was hospitalised in a comatose state for weeks. The episode caused widespread concern about the negative effects of bullying in schools, and thousands of UAE residents waited for Loujain to awaken from her coma.
Although she was discharged from hospital soon after waking up, Loujain’s family had to take her for frequent doctor visits, including appointments with neurologists and physicians. This was when her loss of left-field vision was detected.
“We also noticed that she had become afraid to meet new people, and although she rested for three months during the summer, getting her to join a different private school was very difficult. Loujain wanted to return to her old school, the place where she was attacked, because she did not believe she could find new friends anywhere else,” Hussain explained.
The concerned mother says she still has to push her teenage daughter to befriend her peers.
“The other worry is that she is even nervous about asking questions in class. So, even when she does not understand something, she stays quiet,” Hussain said.
The family still feels that the children who attacked Loujain did not receive just punishment. Hussain claims that the court case was not given a successful resolution due to lax efforts on the part of the family’s lawyer.
But she was heartened when she learnt about the strict new rules for schools in Abu Dhabi, especially those that make school leaders directly responsible for pupils in school premises.
“I am also grateful for all the concern from the UAE people and the educational authorities who helped us find a better private school. We feel that Loujain is much safer here, and the teachers usually keep us informed about everything,” the mother said.
