Khaberni - After the Egyptian Public Prosecution formally initiated investigations into incidents of indecency involving a number of children in one of the international schools, and heard the statements of five of the victimized children and their families.
The testimonies revealed that some employees exploited the young age of the children by luring them under the pretext of playing, then they assaulted them and threatened them with harm using a knife, instilling terror in the hearts of the young and preventing them from informing their families about what happened.
The prosecution confirmed that it obtained detailed confessions from two of the employees at the school, which matched what the children and their families stated during the investigations, admitting that they and others have been luring children from the kindergarten stage to places away from supervision and surveillance cameras, and then sexually assaulted them.
"It was not an individual act"
In his part, Abdulaziz Az Aldeen, the lawyer of the victims, explained that the prosecution's statement reflects a severe caution in preserving the confidentiality of the children's and their families' data as per the law, which provides trust for each family suspected of having their child assaulted and encourages them to come forward to testify and identify the suspects.
Az Aldeen in his statements to Alarabiya.net/Alhadath.net mentioned that the confessions of the accused revealed other parties suspected of involvement, indicating that what happened was not an individual act, but an organized and premeditated operation.
"Difficult to ascertain"
He also added that "luring the accused for very young children confirms that the number of victims may be larger than what has appeared so far and may be difficult to ascertain, which sends a clear message to every family harboring doubts of the necessity to report immediately.
He also denied any negligence from the families, supported by the report of the psychological and social expert, which confirmed that the children were directly threatened with assault and harm, which prompted them to remain silent and not disclose.
Deliberate tampering with the cameras
Furthermore, the lawyer of the victims revealed "intentional tampering with the school’s surveillance camera systems, through deleting and distorting important recordings," deeming it a matter that raises suspicions about parties who were supposed to uncover the truth rather than hide it. He added that the decisions of the Ministry of Education regarding intensifying cameras "will not achieve any real supervision" as long as the devices were under the control of the same administration, which undermines their value, calling for an extensive investigation into the incident of erasing and distorting the DVR recordings, and accusing the security manager, the camera monitor, and those responsible for gathering the preliminary evidence, especially since they initially denied any deletion or modification of the recordings, which strengthens the suspicion of intentionally concealing criminal evidence.
He also called on the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood to form a rapid intervention committee and conduct comprehensive examinations for all students of the school, especially children from the kindergarten stage.
And concluded by calling the Administrative Control Authority to investigate the mechanisms of granting the school's license, and the possibility of violations or passing requirements without scrutiny, which allowed serious crimes to occur that can not be ignored.
Psychological management of children after trauma
On his part, Dr. Jamal Farweez, a consultant psychiatrist, stated that dealing with children at this stage requires continuous psychological support, starting from within the family. He emphasized the importance of not discussing the details of what happened in front of the children, as it could revive the trauma in their consciousness and emotions.
Farweez in a statement to Alarabiya.net/Alhadath.net highlighted the importance of daily monitoring of the child's behavior and observing any changes such as unprovoked aggression, fear, or hatred of certain people or places, as signs that may indicate psychological impact post-incident.
He also stressed that 95% of the victims of sexual assault among children do not remember the details of the incident, but show indirect psychological effects such as anxiety and continuous fear.
In case these signs appear, Farweez emphasized the need to reassure the child and make them feel safe by ensuring they understand that the culprits are in jail and have received punishment, which gives the child a sense of confidence and security and mitigates the trauma's impact.
