Honduras: Rape of a street girl in a police station The Human Rights Actions Network - Derechos Human Rights http://www.derechos.org/human-rights/actions/ CHILD CONCERN VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Case HND 080497.CC The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Honduras. Brief description of the situation : The International Secretariat has been informed, by a reliable source, of the alleged rape of the street girl Fany Cerrato in a police station in Tegucigalpa. According to information received, in the early morning of Friday, March 21st, 1997 16 year old street girl Fany Cerrato was raped by a uniformed officer (sergeant) of the "Fuerza de Seguridad Publica" (FUSEP) - the Honduran police - inside one of the police stations in Tegucigalpa. The young girl was raped in the bathroom of a police station. At approximately 22:00 hours, Fany Cerrato - who has been in the Casa Alianza programs in the past - was walking along the Calle Real close to Bigos (a fast food store) in Tegucigalpa, when an unidentified man stopped and invited her for something to eat. They drove towards the Boulevard Morazan and the man stopped and started to give Fany Cerrato alcoholic drinks. They then drove again for a short period of time and the man stopped the car near the Honduras Maya Hotel and started to sexually abuse the minor inside the car. During the time Fany Cerrato was being abused, two uniformed members of the FUSEP came up to the car. According to Fany Cerrato's statement to the Attorney General's Office, "The police arrived. They asked me who the man was to me, and I said he my brother. The man denied that and so I ran, but the policemen caught me. One of them beat me with his pistol on my right arm and hand. They forced me into the police car and took me to the police station in Mamchen where they told me to take a shower. When I was showering, one of the policemen came in and asked me if the man had paid me, and I said no. The policeman put 20 lempiras (US$ 1.80) into my hand and grabbed me and said that he was going to send me to the girl's juvenile detention centre unless I had sex with him, so I had no choice but to let him abuse me. They released me about 5am on March 21st". It is estimated that Fany Cerrato was raped at about 2am on March 21st. Fany Cerrato reported the abuse to the Casa Alianza street educators and was taken to the DIC to make a formal declaration on March 22nd at midday. She also was given a forensic exam but the results are still unknown. Fany Cerrato is currently safe in a Casa Alianza program. Action requested : Please write to the Honduran authorities urging them to : i. guarantee the safety and the physical and psychological integrity of Fany Cerrato, and ensure her right to appropriate redress and rehabilitation; ii. carry out a thorough and impartial enquiry into the facts in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by legislation; iii. ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with national laws and international standards. Addresses: S.E. Carlos Roberto Reina, Presidente de la República de Honduras, Casa Presidencial, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Fax : + 504 34 49 47 and 34 19 66 and 22 10 30 Telex : 1129 MMRR HO/1429 HO Lic. Edmundo Orellana Mercado, Fiscal General, Fiscalía General de la República, Ministerio Público, 4° Avda, Colonia Palmira, Edificio Castillo Poujol contiguo del Colegio de Enfermeras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Fax : + 504 39 36 97 and 39 36 98 Lic. Leo Valladares Lanza, Comisionado Nacional para la Protección de los Derechos Humanos, Edificio Las Cumbres, Quinto Piso, Ave. Cervantes, Apdo. 2986, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Fax : + 504 38 75 38 E-mail : conadeh@ns.gbm.hn Geneva, 8 March 1997 Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply. Ben Schonveld Projects Manager OMCT-SOS-Torture Fax 4122 733 1051 Ph 4122 733 3140 OMCT is: l'Organisation Mondiale contre la Torture The World Organisation Against Torture OMCT@IPROLINK.CH http://www.omct.org/ ===================================================== Human Rights in Honduras http://www.derechos.org/nizkor/honduras/