A twelve-year-old school girl who was allegedly subjected to cruel treatment by two mistresses of her father was handed over to the custody of the Viharamahadevi Children’s Home in Biyagama by Colombo Additional Magistrate Purnima Paranagamage yesterday. The case will be taken up again on March 18.

The child from Kotahena area who is a grade 6 student in a statement to Chief Inspector Balachandra of the Bureau for the Prevention of Abuse of Children & Women had said that her mother had left her to live with her father. Although her father was affectionate to her, he was living with two mistresses.

One of the mistresses had three children and another woman was pregnant. Both were living in the same house.

The child has alleged that she was required to do menial jobs in the household with the pregnant woman because she was unable to attend to household duties because of her condition. The minor was also required to look after the children of the first woman. The minor had further alleged that she was subject to assault with a broom stick by the other woman who even resorted to scrape her with her nails. Often she went to school without either meals or tea.

Police stated that the minor had scars on her chest from injuries caused by an assault with a coconut scraper.