The story unfolds in the Swiss press, ably translated by Norman and posted by Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs:
Police knew about abuse by father
Svera was frank: “I’m afraid of my father. He beats me.” But for the authorities it wasn’t clear enough.
16 year old Svera R. from Zurich-Hongg: A strong person who wanted to live her life- without the bonds of the strict muslim faith which stood above everything for her father. On Monday he killed his fistborn child with an axe. Then he surrendered to the police.
Svera’s friends are under shock. And they’re in anger: “Svera was a poor girl. In the family there was a lot of confrontation.
Heated arguments”, says Daniel A. (20) to BLICK. He lives in the community Rutihof next to family R. “Often the father was beating her so severely that we could see the bruises. She attended school in that condition.” In 2007 the school filed a notion/alarm concerning the four kids who received Swiss citizenship. They got a social worker and an Egyptian counselor/mediator.
“Nonetheless, police and ambulance showed up several times”, says Daniel A. “Last time I noticed was two weeks ago, when the father had a heart attack.”
That incident was confirmed by Marco Cortesi, spokesman of the police in Zurich. “Scheragha R. was brought into hospital by an
ambulance.” It was the second time the police got involved with family R. “Three weeks
ago we were called for the first time” according to Cortesi. “Svera ran away. Very soon
we located her at her boy-friend’s home. On the phone she told an officer that things aren’t all right at home any longer. That her father beats her and that she is afraid of him.”What does the police do with these information? “We offered her to visit the police station and provide a testimony- or move to a shelter. She didn’t do either. That’s why the charge of abuse wasn’t investigated any further. This is standard procedure”, says Cortesi.
The family counselor arranged a mediation between father and daughter. Svera spent a night at her parents’ home but then ran away to her boy-friend.
“The third deployment in that case occurred on Monday when Svera and a friend of hers were caught stealing”, says Cortesi. “We informed the parents.” And Svera?
“She said it was ok with her- but she would run away from home instantly.”But
why were these cries for help not being paid attention to? Cortesi explains: “She
didn’t go to the police station in order to provide a testimony, nor did she contact a shelter. That way a case like this does not get on record.”At the Guardianship Authority (I guess: Guardian ad litem) of the city of Zurich father’s R. beatings were never an issue.
Spokesman Martin Naef (39): “There were no indications of massive use of violence. It seems like it wasn’t more than skirmishes/fisticuffs and arguments/conflicts.” Moreover, family R. had been in care/coached intensively. Naef: “We were under the impression that tension had been in decline since 2007.” During the last weeks the
family counselor increased visits to the family even more.Tragic: A
meeting with Svera, coaches and family counselor was scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Naef: “It was planned to talk about the situation at home and assistance/care.”
Too late. Svera is dead.