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29 March 2024

Attacked schoolgirl says teachers did not act

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By Staff

A little Emirati school girl who was admitted to hospital in serious condition three weeks ago after she was beaten up by four school boys accused teachers of failing to protect her as they watched her being kicked.

Lujain Hussein said the four boys kept kicking her like a toy during the break time at a private school in Abu Dhabi while the supervisors did not move, adding that she no longer wants to return to that school.

“They kept kicking me like a toy as I was on the ground…the supervisors just watched and did not do anything,” she told 'Emarat Al Youm' daily.

The paper said its reporter visited Lujain at an Abu Dhabi hospital and was told by doctors that she has just regained consciousness after a head surgery. The report said Lujain looked well but spoke in a very low voice.

“It was Thursday, my best day of the week because it is the day that preceded my weekly break….I was playing with my friends when a younger boy banged into me…he then pushed me and I leaned on my friend…another boy came and pushed me on the ground,” she said.

[Clik here to read more about the child's ordeal]

“Two other boys came and all of them surrounded me…they then started kicking me like a toy while I was on the ground…after they left, I could not stand up as I was helped by my friends…I do not want to return to that school any more as I could be attacked again…those supervisors were just watching what happened and made no move to intervene and protect me.”

After the attack on April 23, Lujain received first aid at school before she was sent home. At home, she slept for a while before she woke up and began vomiting. Her father then rushed her to hospital, where scanning showed she was suffering from a severe brain haemorrhage.

'Emarat Al Youm' had reported that a committee sent by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) to probe the incident told the head mistress that she has been reported to the police by Lujain’s family.

It said the Council was awaiting reports from the police and the hospital to take the necessary measures.

The paper quoted ADEC director general Dr Mugheer Al Khaily, who visited Lujain at hospital on Thursday, as saying the council was still probing the incident and implicitly blamed the school management.

“I don’t think the problem is because of the mixed-gender system at that school since other schools have that system…the management of that school should shoulder its responsibility in maintaining discipline and preventing such acts inside school,” he said.

Dubai acid-attack mom fights on for 10-month old baby

 It’s been nearly two weeks since Sri Lankan Nilakshi Priyadarshana’s life came to a grinding halt. The 22-year-old suffered third-degree burns when a drain acid bottle that was placed on top of the fridge accidentally fell on her.

She has already undergone two skin grafting surgeries and is scheduled for one more this week. Her husband is unsure of how many more surgeries she will require for complete recovery. However, she is determined to fight it out and recover at the earliest for their 10-month-old baby.

The incident occurred on April 21, when Nilakshi was cleaning the kitchen, while her husband, Prasad, was playing with their 10-month-old in the corridor of their one-bed Karama apartment.

“I heard her screams and rushed inside to see her crying in pain. Her head, face, chest and left hand were severely burnt… even her T-shirt was burnt,” he recalled.

According to Roshini, project manager at Karama Kanteen, that’s part of Volunteer in Dubai, Prasad too suffered minor burns while trying to hold her during the trip to Rashid Hospital. “I did spot burns on his arms and he told me that even his clothes got burnt,” she added.

The acid bottle, which the couple had purchased to declog their kitchen drain six months ago, was initially placed in the balcony, but was shifted to the fridge top so that their baby couldn’t access it.

“The baby had some eye infection and the parents were asked to expose the child to sun light as part of the treatment. This is why they moved the bottle out of the balcony,” explained Roshini.

Although the paramedics arrived on the scene, within minutes after Prasad made the emergency call, Nilakshi’s skin was severely damaged by the time she was admitted to the burns unit in Rashid hospital.

Prasad, who works as an office boy on a monthly pay of Dh4,000, doesn’t have medical insurance to support her treatment and is struggling to gather funds to pay the room charges of Dh 150 per day, surgeries, doctors’ fee and medicines.

Nilakshi has already undergone two skin grafting surgeries and is scheduled for one more this week. Prasad, however, has not been handed any bill till now.

“The hospital staff said the bill will be ready after the treatment,” he said, adding he’s unsure about how many more surgeries will be needed for her complete recovery.  He added that there’s also need for plastic surgery, but Prasad isn’t focusing on that just yet.

“I just want to her to be treated for the burns so that she can return home to our baby, who she was nursing until then,” he said.

Prasad’s mother has come in from Sri Lanka to help them, as Nilakshi lost both her parents to cancer. Despite being bandaged up and unable to speak, Roshini claimed that Nilakshi’s spirit remained undamaged. “She is determined to fight back and come out of this ordeal for the sake of her baby,” she reported.

Those interested in offering financial aid to the couple can email us at news@emirates247.com

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