NELSPRUIT – The Barberton couple who will again appear on charges of child pornography in court today, might be linked to an international sex ring. The police spokesman Col Leonard Hlathi confirmed that the case has been handed over to the Gauteng Family Violence Child Protection Sexual Offences Unit.
This is the same unit currently investigating the principal who was the first in the country to be arrested after Interpol alerted police in a worldwide investigation into a child- pornography ring that originated in Canada.
In Tuesday’s Lowvelder, it was reported that the couple were caught with an alleged explicit pornographic video of their seven-year-old daughter on a cellphone.
They are charged with possession, manufacturing, and distributing child pornography as well as grooming for sexual purposes.
Yesterday this newspaper interviewed a source close to the case who made startling revelations which will be investigated by Lowvelder. Claims are being made that various high- profile people are involved.
The child is still being kept at a safe home. This paper spoke to expert Ms Sufran Smith, a lecturer in forensic social work at the North-West University Potchefstroom campus on how this has affected the kid involved in the case.
“It is a difficult one to answer on how the child will be affected, as it will differ from every kid and circumstance.” Smith said they would have to do a thorough assessment of to determine the influence of the parents’ arrest.
“A child of seven may not necessarily know if what her parents did was apparently wrong, but even if she does, it won’t lessen the longing for them. Even children, who understand why they have been removed from their parents’ care, miss them.”
She revealed that of course a kid is being inconvenienced when he or she is placed in a new home and will, therefore, also miss the familiar environment he or she comes from.
“Often, the children have feelings of guilt and think they were removed because they did something wrong.”
Smith concluded that these kids have an intense longing to be reunited with their parents, especially when they are placed in the care of strangers.
