Too many children harmed in SA

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

This is a famous quote by former president Nelson Mandela, but in light of this, with all the recent deaths of and crimes against children, what does this say about our society’s soul?

According to the Children’s Act, every child has the right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation.

This year alone, there have been many reports of children being harmed by parents, killed by criminals and accidental deaths.

Some of these include:

•  The man, dubbed the “Springs monster”, who kept his wife and five children captive in their home.
•  Two children, five and two years old, dying in a shack fire in Windmill Park.
•  A grandmother and mother who burnt a nine-year-old’s buttocks, hands and hips as punishment for allegedly stealing R300 in Comet.
•  A one-week-old baby sustained injuries after he was burnt by a heating pad while in the Bertha Gxowa Hospital.
•  Four-year-old Teagrin Morris who was killed during a hijacking in Reiger Park.
•  A two-year-old boy who accidently drowned in a swimming in Illiondale.
•  A three-year-old and 10-year-old who have been left traumatised after their home was robbed by three armed men in Delmore Park.
•  The Boksburg Magistrate’s Court recently convicted two men for raping children. The first man received two life sentences for raping a three-year-old repeatedly for three years, while the second received a life sentence for raping a 13-year-old three times.
•  A man is currently on trial after he was charged with shooting a three-year-old in the head on the West Rand.

These are just a few of the crimes that have been committed against children in our country.

Lieutenant Juanita Coetzer, the communications officer for the Boksburg North SAPS, said that with all the incidents of rape and abuse, it is important for the community to speak out against these criminals.

“Also, if you know about abused victims, you must report it. There is help out there and we cannot let these ruthless criminals loose in our society,” she said.

She said that women, men and children must realise that they are important human beings.

“Being abused is not an option; you do not deserve this treatment. Children and elderly people are our most vulnerable, they are an easy and soft target.”

Coetzer said children are gifts to us. “Protect your gift, look after your children, stop allowing them to party at night clubs and using alcohol. Make sure you know where they are going, and with whom they are going, and also see to it that they are dressed properly,” said Lt Coetzer.

“There are a lot of emergency numbers you can phone and you can stay anonymous,”she said.

According to Lt Coetzer, the SAPS’ role is to investigate, prevent and combat all offences created by the Children’s Act.

“Any form of abuse must be reported to the SAPS immediately, and if you know of abuse and are not reporting it, you are liable and can face criminal charges,” said Lt Coetzer.