Child abuse shock on the North Coast

The number of offences of child abuse on the North Coast are on the rise.

This comes amidst reports that more than half of the country’s Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) are without counselling services or have been forced to rely on one or two social workers to comfort victims of abuse months after they lost international donor support.

Thuthuzela Care Centres are one-stop centres which enable rape victims to lodge a case with the police and receive counselling and medical care.

While government and private organisations have tried hard to encourage victims of abuse to come forward, it seems not enough resources and support are available to deal with the increased demands on police and other services.

More than 400 cases of rape were reported at the KwaDukuza Thuthuzela Care Centre over the last year.

KwaDukuza Child Welfare senior social worker manager, Karnegie Govender, said in the past year the society has dealt with 310 new cases of child abuse.

However, this was believed to be a fraction of the true number of victims. It is estimated that only one in nine cases are reported.

Tongaat Child Welfare manager Joe Moodley said the organisation handled 102 new cases of child abuse from March 2018 to February 2019.

Moodley said of those, 65 cases involved extreme neglect, while sexual abuse and physical abuse made up the rest. This was a 30 percent increase over the previous year.

According to Statistics South African (Stats SA) report released last year, KwaDukuza rated number five in the worst ten precincts for sexual crime in the province.

Despite South Africa having progressive legislation when it comes to children’s rights, the courts are still not able to cope with the volume of cases, with backlog going back as far as 2013.

According to child protection experts the typical period for case finalisation is nine months but the reality is that cases from six years ago are still on the court rolls.

“It sometimes take years for a case to be heard and one cannot expect a child to recall events in detail five years after it happened, especially traumatic events.

“This process is difficult for the victim who has to reopen old wounds and go through the ordeal again, especially after such a long period has elapsed.

“Children are exposed to secondary trauma as a result. Sadly, many cases are dismissed due to this,” said Govender.

Stats SA recorded that rape cases in the area had a six percent conviction rate. In KwaDukuza last year, just 80 rape cases made it to court, with a mere five convictions.

Where to get help:

If you or anyone you know needs help of any kind, reach out to the Department of Social Development’s 24-hour pilot call centre dedicated to providing support and counselling to victims of gender-based violence:

The toll-free number to speak to a social worker for assistance and counselling is 0800 428 428 (0800 GBV GBV). Callers can also request a social worker from the Command Centre to contact them. Simply dial *120*7867# from any cell phone. No network charges will apply.

Other contact numbers are:

Childline South Africa: 0800 055 555

Child Welfare South Africa: 0861 4 CHILD (24453) / 011 452-4110

E-mail: info@childwelfaresa.org.za

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