Save the Children officer abducts girls, convicted

He was supposed to be a protector and defender of children’s rights, but an officer working for Save the Children in Nsanje turned out to be their worst enemy after he abducted two girls and locked them away in his matrimonial house for six days.

The act has earned James Kotokwa, who was working as district team leader on a health project, dismissal and court conviction.

His employers say they are outraged by his behaviour.

Kotokwa abducted the two girls on offers of soft drinks, a loaf of bread, tea, exercise books, pens and money.

The minors, whose identities we have withheld for legal and ethical reasons, are aged 12 and 14.

They endured six days of confinement from November 8-14 after they were locked up in Kotokwa’s house at Nsanje boma, afraid to leave because he threatened them.

They were discovered by Kotokwa’s wife upon her return from a trip.

Kotokwa was on Wednesday found guilty and fined K150 000 (US$375) by the Nsanje Third Grade Magistrate’s Court or serve 12 months imprisonment with hard labour in default.

Nsanje Police officer-in-charge Sekani Tembo said Kotokwa paid the fine and is now a free man.

While the youngsters claimed to have been defiled once each, their medical reports proved too weak to pursue defilement.

A medical report signed by Nsanje district health officer Dr Medison Matchaya said it was difficult to medically prove or rule out sexual intercourse because at the time the two girls were examined at Nsanje District Hospital it was too late to find sperms.

It was on one of the hot Nsanje Fridays when the girls claimed to have met Kotokwa for the first time as they sat on a heap of sand to share mangoes.

Said the older girl: “He offered us work to sweep his house and we accepted. He asked us to follow him and he ushered us into his house, sat us on his sofas upon offering us a bottle of Fanta each.

“When we asked to leave after a while, he asked us to spend the night and he moved to the door and locked it. We were surprised but we thought it would all end the following day as he promised.”

The girl is an orphan who lives with her 66-year-old grandmother in Traditional Authority Malemia.

She said Kotokwa had suggested that all three sleep together but they rejected his proposal. Kotokwa reportedly relented and let the girls sleep in a separate room but not without a second attempt as the girl claimed he asked to be let in later but to no avail.

The girl narrated that come morning, Kotokwa sent the younger girl on an errand to buy bread with a K500 note and immediately set off to unleash his scheme on the older one.

“He asked me to take a bath, I obliged. He pulled me to a bed as I got out of the bath and tried to sleep with me. I was saved by a knock at the door but he had his way with me on a Sunday,” said the Standard Six pupil.

The younger one, while corroborating her friend’s story, said she was defiled on Saturday evening after Kotokwa played the same trick of sending the older girl to buy bread in the evening.

“My friend told me we would leave after taking tea but Kotokwa said he wanted us to look after his house as he was to travel to Lilongwe.

“He left us three mobile phones, ball pens, hard cover exercise books and K3 000 (US$7.5). He promised us more money upon return and threatened that if we tried to leave, he would report us to have broken into his house,” said the 12-year-old.

It was on the sixth day that the girls were discovered by Mrs. Kotokwa, who according to them, reported to police. They were arrested, had their statements taken and later released to their families.

Grandmother to the older girl said prior to the disappearance, the youngster had visited her maternal grandmother the previous day.

She said she assumed the girl was still at the grandmother’s home when she did not return home.

“I was in my garden when I learnt that the police were looking for me at my house. The officers told me that she had been found at a house.

“When I met her, she told me she was defiled and injured her arm as she tried to escape upon being found by the wife.

“That is all we ever heard and have not been told about any court case, medical report and all. We are just hearing in the grapevine about how the case is progressing,” she said.

Mother to the younger girl also claimed that her daughter revealed that she had been defiled. She said she reported her missing two weeks ago until her discovery at Kotokwa’s house.

“I too have been in the dark on this court case. I was an interested party because my girl’s future has been ruined from the experiences at the hands of this man,” she said.

A police statement in our possession reads: “On or about the 8th to 14th of November 2013, at Tsungulo Village in the area of T/A Malemia in Nsanje, unlawfully took [two girls] out of the possession and against the will of their father and mother who have lawful care of charge of them.”

Save the Children country director Matthew Pickard said they were shocked and saddened when they learnt about the crime.

“Our priority is the well-being and safety of the children involved. Over the last week, we have been working with the relevant authorities, including the district social welfare department, to ensure all appropriate support is given to the children.

“The employee in question was immediately suspended from Save the Children when this issue came to our attention and has since been dismissed,” he said.

In his ruling, magistrate George Chimombo blamed the girls for giving in to Kotokwa’s lures while his wife was away. He advised their parents to take them to reformatory centres.

But executive director for Eye of the Child, Maxwell Matewere, blamed the police for not building a strong case of defilement against Kotokwa to secure an appropriate jail term.

“There is more than just a medical report the police can use in such a case. I have noticed of late that police have been failing to present a case without the presence of sperms.

“My appeal to police is for them to consult their superiors on how to build a case with other aspects rather than sperms. There are so many elements,” said Matewere.

He also faulted the magistrate for blaming the girls, saying that was why laws protecting children exist.