Family violence and child abuse unit lacks basic equipment
This situation is totally unacceptable and shows the lack of concern by the government for the very units that investigate the rape and murder of children and women
The Family Violence, Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) for Ekurhuleni North Cluster is chronically under-resourced. This was revealed through a parliamentary reply,” says the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) deputy chief whip in the National Assembly and Lethabong constituency head, member of parliament Michael Waters.
He added that the FCS Unit has a shortage of:
• 500 rape kits,
• 500 DNA collection kits,
• 10 units of recording equipment for interviewing
• 3 vehicles
• 5 two-way radios
• 2 laptops
“This situation is totally unacceptable and shows the lack of concern by the government for the very units that investigate the rape and murder of children and women of our country. Last year alone 39 828 rapes were reported and of these, a horrific 19 017 (41%) are child rapes. It cannot be that the very units established to bring perpetrators to book do not have the basic equipment such as rape kits. What this means is that vital evidence needed to convict people will be lost forever. It is no wonder that as far as child rapes are concerned, only 1 in 3 results in a conviction,” explains Waters
He says if they are to combat this scourge, they need political commitment, which will ensure they back up the rhetoric of fighting gender violence through the desperately needed funding.
