A mother has been sentenced to house arrest for burning her 7-year-old daughter’s genitals with a candle as punishment for being bad at maths.
Rosabel Munoz was found guilty of the crime of aggravated torture after her daughter suffered second degree burns to her genitals.
It is unclear how long the mother will remain under house arrest.
The girl, who was seven years old at the time, was hospitalised for 28 days due to her injuries and had to undergo reconstructive surgery.
The incident took place in 2013 in the city of Ibague, in the central western Colombian department of Tolima, according to local media.
It was also reported that the judge had not considered the complaint of the girl’s father who claims that her stepfather also mistreated her.
Currently, the girl is under the protection of social services.
The head of the Colombian Welfare Family Institute, Oscar Rios, recalled his dealings with the victim at the time.
He said: "She had injuries in her genital area, she had apparently been burned with a candle.
"We have a professional team to take care of her and we have tried to restore her confidence, but she was not able to reintegrate in her family."
This year, a total of 127 cases of child abuse were reported and authorities were trying to figure out how to decrease this number.
