The young girl’s moving address on the evening of March 26, which was shared publicly by journalist Danai Kiskira-Bartzoka, underscored the systemic failures and societal neglect she has endured. Accompanied by Kiskira-Bartzoka’s observation that “When an abused and raped child is apologising, something is very wrong with the world,” the girl’s words resonated deeply:
“I am 12, nearing 13, and I wish to share my feelings one last time with you. Please, lend me your ears. You represented the hope and the aid I desperately sought in my nightmarish reality.
You earned my trust; I confided in you… hoping that no other child would suffer my fate. Yet, the torment continues, and my nightmares persist.
I’m not saying this to protect my mother.
I was just another child in the neighbourhood, biking around the square, wishing that monster had never crossed my path. But he did.
I’m sorry for not speaking up sooner… fear paralysed me. Now, I believed my redemption was at hand, but questions haunt me: Where’s my mom? Why target my mom? Where are my siblings, my family? Why am I left to fend for myself alone?
I blame myself for not reaching out earlier. It’s not my mom’s fault. I long for an end to these nightmares.
Even at Christmas, I was barred from seeing my mom.
To the prosecutor, I pose the question: Are all the pieces of evidence you possess merely jokes? Is this what you imply after all I’ve endured?
I implore the court, the judge, the jurors, to recognise my mother’s ignorance of my actions, to see that I’m not withholding the truth or being deceitful about her. She is innocent, and I’ll stand by this truth until it’s acknowledged by everyone.”
Her mother’s statement also calls into question the effectiveness of the support systems in place and the urgent need for change to protect the most vulnerable:
“It’s way past time for the state to wake up and see what’s actually going down. Today, it was my child that was raped; tomorrow, it could be yours. Is this the future we envision for our kids? In a society like this? With a justice system that turns a blind eye to abusers?
Let’s talk about what the prosecutor suggested. It’s so outrageous it’s beyond belief. She dismissed the three biggest charges, tied to rape and pandering. According to her, there was ‘consent’, he was ‘in love’ with my kid. That’s right, she called it cohabitation. Like a kid can consent to a relationship with an adult, really?
My child gave them everything – all the details in her statements. But the prosecutor? Didn’t buy it. She must be waiting for a photo or video to finally convince her, maybe one with the abuser holding a gun to my child’s head, to pop up.
According to her, he never took her to a brothel because he wasn’t looking to make money from it. He ‘would never do that’. But my kid described that brothel down to the last detail, and guess what? They found it. Exactly as she said. And then, there’s this police officer who testified in court saying they asked around a bit when they checked the place once, but left when nobody said they saw her there.
Just one check? What about the doorman, or the CCTV, or the clients? They tell us they did their job. The same officer admitted in court that they didn’t even hold onto the suspects’ phones for evidence. Handed them back or didn’t even bother searching their homes. In a case as serious as this, you’d think they’d check the phones for other possible victims, or raid their houses for laptops or anything. Did they really do all they could, or did they just lose interest?”
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