14 year old Thai girl commits suicide after suffering sexual assault over 8 years
A 14 year old Thai girl committed suicide at Krung Thep Bridge in Bangkok after being sexually assaulted by her grandfather-in-law for more than eight years.
Bangkholaem Police Station officers and rescuers tried to save the teenage girl from the Chao Phraya River at around 11.45am on November 6. Rescuers administered CPR but were unable to save her life.
A witness reported to police that he believed the girl committed suicide by jumping into the river from the bridge. Police then summoned the girl’s parents, her 40 year old father named Suthat and her 49 year old stepmother named Nuanphan, to the police station for questioning about the motive.
Suthat explained that he had divorced the girl’s mother and lost contact with his daughter when she was two years old. He continued to search for her by posting his daughter’s picture on Facebook and was finally reunited with her three months ago.
Suthat told police he was shocked by his daughter’s words. The daughter reached out to them via Facebook…
“I was raped. Can you accept that? Do you still consider me your daughter?”
Sexual assault
After learning of the sexual assault, Suthat and his wife contacted the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women to rescue his daughter and file a complaint against the 72 year old rapist, who was his daughter’s grandfather-in-law.
Suthat added that his daughter had to work on the plantation and did all the housework. Her mother was an alcoholic and did not care for her. She even ignored the sexual assaults that had been taking place since the girl was six years old.
Suthat said he took his daughter from her mother’s home in the southern province of Chum Phon to live with him and his wife in Bangkok. They had only been together a few months before the tragic incident.
Suthat added that the rapist was temporarily released and contacted him to ask if he would drop the charges. He thought this might be an aspect that forced their daughter to make the tragic decision.
The girl’s stepmother, Nuanphan, revealed that the teenager never mentioned the sexual assault when she was with her. The girl looked normal and showed no signs of distress before committing suicide.
Nuanphan added the girl was deeply hurt and hoped she would be reborn in a better place where everyone was good and loved her.
Suthat said he wanted to tell his daughter how much he loved her and hoped she was well in the afterlife. He promised to pursue the rape case to the fullest.
If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.
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