Pregnant rape victims now have the support they need

There were 35 000 teenage mothers in South Africa in 2020 and of these more than 600 births were to mothers between the age of ten and 13, according to Stats SA.

Looking at Solomé Tadford today, you would never believe that she shared the same fate as these young girls. These days she is a loving mother and grandmother but more than 40 years ago she was the victim of sexual abuse that led to her having her eldest daughter at 13 and her son at 14.

Today Salomé dedicates her life to helping young mothers and especially those who are victims of sexual abuse and rape. When Salomé was 12 she was very sick. She remembers a man coming to visit but she does not remember being raped. Five months later she felt ill and a visit to the doctor confirmed that she was five months pregnant. After the birth of her daughter a much older man started grooming the vulnerable young girl, and she fell pregnant again.

When her son was three months old he was taken away from her and she has not seen him since.

Salomé told the News that she was sent to a reform school but realised the first night there that she had to get away. She never finished school. She met her husband-to-be, and he and his family helped her to come to terms with everything that had happened to her and to break the cycle.

Now she wants to help other children also to break the cycle.

In 2019 she founded the Kids in Distress SA organisation that supports pregnant victims under the age of 16 before, during and after birth.

Salomé wants these girls to go back to school and complete their basic education, and to realise that there is a good life ahead of them.

They offer psychological and emotional support which includes pregnancy preparedness, regular check-ups and personal care requirements.

They also provide personal support during childbirth and ongoing assistance with newborns.

This includes arranging childcare while the mother continues her schooling. They also help out with support packs after birth; these include the basics for a newborn as well as life skills. She explained that many of these girls do not have the support of family or loved ones and that returning to school can sometimes be difficult.

Even though Solomé herself decided to keep her children, her organisation provides counselling if the teenager wants to give up the baby for adoption.

The organisation works with specialists in different fields to assist victims in any way possible.

If you would like to read more about this amazing woman, assist with support packs, assist the organisation in any way or arrange for Salomé to come and tell her story, you can visit the Kids in Distress SA Facebook page to get into contact with her.

To read about her search for her son who was taken away from her, you can visit the Son where are you? – Fritz Brandon Erasmus – Born 17 September 1981 Facebook page.