The Pain of Child Abuse: Eliza’s Story (Part 2)

        We arrived at the government hospital after taking a dirt road for over an hour. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was a little taken back when we walked in. The facility was a concrete building with about 8 different rooms. It reeked with an awful odor that I can not even begin to describe in words. The walls were stained with dirt and every corner had some item of trash that had obviously been there for quite some time. The people in the waiting room were EVERYWHERE. Some of the women were lying on the ground being fanned by their loved ones because of the extreme heat. Children were sitting in their mother’s laps screaming and crying because they were hurt or not feeling well. The whole sight made me sick to my stomach. I started to tear up at what I saw and what the children were about to go through, but I knew that I couldn’t let them see the fear I was feeling.

       The two children clung near to me still unsure of what was happening as we walked through. I felt like a mother shielding my children from a bad scene in a movie, expect that this was reality. We were escorted to a room with an examination table and a very nice doctor came in to speak with us. I explained to him the different signs of abuse that we had seen over the course of being in Swaziland. He made a full report and I again made a statement to the authorities. Eliza had her burn wound dressed on her leg and Kiwi was prescribed a few different medications. The doctor talked to me and the constable and explained that he would do what he could to help.

          We made the hour long trek back to the police station in Nsoko and met up with Pastor Gift again. The police informed me that because Lisa and I were leaving within the week that our statements would not be able to be used because we would not be there to testify in court. Pastor Gift would have to take these cases on alone.

       They informed me that Eliza and Kiwi would most likely be taken out of their homes and put into a group home run by the government a few hours away while the case was being investigated and to keep them from any further harm. I left feeling discouraged and once again….heartbroken. These children are going to be taken out of their homes, away from the only family they have, away from their friends, their school, EVERYTHING that is familiar to them. I have no idea when they will be brought back, if ever.

        These cases can run for quite some time and it will take a lot of money and time for Pastor Gift . Every time there is a court appearance, there are lawyer fees and transportation costs for Pastor Gift and the children. These are funds that they just do not have. Lawyer fees cost around $40 per visit and sometimes they have to go 5-10 times. Eliza and Giwi represent the MANY children here in Swaziland that are victims of abuse. It’s people like Pastor Gift who are fighting for these children. It’s people like him that are taking a STAND and giving these children a voice.

      I HURT for Eliza and Kiwi and what is going to happen to them. I HURT for the children that are being abused and nothing is being done. I feel guilty about leaving and not being there with them through this. I KNOW though, that Pastor Gift will do whatever he can to help them and the other children faced with the same situation in Swaziland.

       The burn scars of Eliza and her sister are forever ingrained in my head. Even though I can no longer be there, I know that my teammates who are coming this month to Swaziland along with Pastor Gift will continue to fight for Eliza and Kiwi.There are still many months of legal
investigations and court dates, but God is working in the life of this
precious little girl to love her and protect her. I have been honored to help if only in small way, to rescue these children from a life that NO child should ever have to endure.  Please support Pastor Gift and these children in any way that you can. These children need LOVE, HOPE, and a VOICE.

 

To read more about Kiwi’s story, please read Lisa Smith’s blogs:

 WHO will speak for him?(Part 1)

 WHO will speak for him?(Part 3)