Parents of a nine-year-old are disgusted after their daughter was racially abused and dog faeces smeared on her face by a group of children at Navy Park in Dunedin on Sunday, January 12.
Mother of the child Zahra Mohammed narrated the incident to news website Stuff that happened on the grounds of the park on Sunday morning.
Ms Zahra said she was pushing her youngest child on the swing when she saw her nine-year-old playing near the bushes and few other boys were also playing in the area.
She added that she kept an eye on her daughter but could not see or hear anything unruly or alarming, and at one point, she noticed all the children ended up in the bushes. She added that the boys looked like nine-year-olds and two older boys of age around 12.
Ms Zahra added that a little later she saw her daughter coming out of the bushes, seemingly upset and looking for help. Her daughter came to her and said children in the area 'smeared dog poo' on her face.
Hearing this Ms Zahra went to the boys and asked who had done this, to which, of course, everyone denied responsibility, although her daughter pointed out to a boy who refused but had dog poo on his hand.
Ms Zahra cried that act was 'unacceptable' and this should not be done to anyone. She added that now she will have to cut short the playtime of her kids and go back home.
"...your parents would be incredibly embarrassed if they knew you were doing this," Ms Zahra told the children, Stuff reported.
Ms Zahra took her children to her car when her daughter said that the boys asked if she was Indian and racially abused before rubbing the poo on her face.
Ms Zahra's daughter narrating her ordeal said that two boys poked sticks on her back and threatened to hurt her if she didn't leave and other two older boys pointed a gun at her and threatened to shoot her as well.
Ms Zahra had a feeling that it might have been a toy gun but felt 'nervous' when they were threatening to shoot her.
Ms Zahra's children are half Fiji-Indian, and she hails from Canada who moved to New Zealand in 2009.
Ms Zahra added that her daughter acted 'really mature' about the incident. She said that her daughter apologised to her saying she should have left the area when the other children asked her instead asked if she could play with them.
"My daughter said maybe I shouldn't have asked so many questions and I should've just left.
"I explained she doesn't have to apologise for being somewhere and remove herself from public space because she makes other people uncomfortable." Ms Zahra told Stuff.
This is not the first time Zahra or her children have been racially abused. Earlier in 2016, Zahra and her children were racially abused and sworn at by an op-shop owner in Oamaru.
The Indian Weekender has approached Race Relations office for a comment on this incident. More to come.
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