Tragic, a cruel mum has to tie straw around her six-year-old daughter’s hands before setting them on fire to teach her a lesson for stealing sweets from a shop.
And now, she has been arrested for her actions.
The incident took place in the area of Alto K’ara K’ara in the city of Cochabamba in the central Bolivian department.
The young victim and her four-year-old sister stole some sweets from a local shop. Then, the shop owner complained to the children’s parents after spotting them stealing sweets on the CCTV footage.
The mother burns her youngest girl’s hands but she managed to run away when she saw her sister suffering the shocking punishment.
The injured child’s mum and stepdad have since been arrested, although the mum was later released because she is six months pregnant.
The 37-year-old mum, whose name has not been revealed told the news source Unitelthat she tied straw to the arms of both girls as a punishment.
The six-year-old girl was badly injured with second-degree burns to her arms and hands, but she is in stable condition in hospital.
She will need to undergo at least four surgeries to recover mobility in her lower arms and hands, as well as other treatments related to the potential psychological damage caused by the horrific incident.
Doctors warned that the recovery process might last several months or even a year because the injuries are up to her elbows and that she could suffer from functional and aesthetic consequences.
Her younger sister is under the care of social workers at the local Children and Adolescent Protection center.
The mum said that she is sorry and that she only meant to teach the girls a lesson so they would not take other people’s belongings.
Both the mum and stepfather have been arrested. A judge ordered that the six-month pregnant mother must wait until she gives birth before standing trial.
The 32-year-old stepfather was arrested for being an accomplice as he witnessed the torture and did nothing to stop the mother.
He has been sent to preventive prison as the investigation continues.
