Girl sues own ma

A 14-YEAR-OLD girl has filed a complaint for child abuse against her mother, whom she accused of hurting her physically and abusing her verbally.

The alleged abuse pushed Joy to slash her wrist, hoping it would end her mother’s abuses. Mary, however, did not stop hurting Joy. (Sun.Star Cebu is withholding the names of the parties involved in compliance with Republic Act (RA) 7610, or the Anti-Child Abuse Law, which prohibits naming the victim and the accused.)

Mary allegedly hit Joy with books, shoes and belt, and insulted her repeatedly.

In her counter-affidavit, Mary denied her daughter’s allegations.

Joy, who lived with her mother after her parents separated, left their house and moved in with her father because she suffered “physical abuses, beatings, emotional and psychological trauma” under her care.

In her affidavit, Joy said her mother started to mistreat her in January 2011.

She said that sometime in July 2011 while she was doing her homework, her mother hit her in the back with a hard object.

Joy later talked about the incident on the social networking site Facebook, where she posted a message saying she felt pain where her mother hit her.

Her father read the message, and he convinced Joy to see a doctor. They later filed a complaint before the barangay.

Mary and her husband were not able to settle their differences, which led to the filing of the case against her.

The mother will face trial in court after the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office found evidence to charge her with child abuse. Bail was set at P80,000.

“There is prima facie showing from the evidence that respondent mayhave struck the complainant’s back on July 2011,” the prosecutor’s resolution read.

For her part, Mary said her husband filed the case against her to get back at her.

She said in her counter-affidavit that she earlier filed a complaint against her husband after he left her for another woman. She said her husband is out on bail.

“There is practically no truth to the allegations of the complainant who was neither physically beaten nor psychologically or emotionally oppressed,” Mary’s affidavit read.

She said she has the right to discipline her child.