One child raped every week in KwaDukuza-Tongaat area
Social worker tells of two cases in which biological mothers had offered their children, aged between eight and ten, to men for sex in exchange for money.
At least one child is raped between the KwaDukuza and Tongaat area every week, but a disturbingly high number of cases still go unreported.
This according to the KwaDukuza and Tongaat Child Welfare societies, who both spoke to the Courier on this pressing issue.
Tongaat Welfare’s social worker, Joe Moodley, said very few cases lead to successful prosecution.
“We currently have a case of a five-year-old child who was raped by her biological father. She and her mother are in hiding because the father was never arrested,” said Moodley.
She said many victims find it difficult to open cases, and as social workers they have to intervene to get cases opened. The hesitancy is often caused by fear of the repercussions, and in many instances a lack of knowledge on how to navigate the system results in victims failing to report incidents.
KwaDukuza Child Welfare social worker, Amy Sentoo, said they usually deal with three to four cases a month.
Historically the festive season usually sees a spike in reported cases, which is cause for concern with December approaching.
“This is a time when children will often be left alone or in the care of another child. This leaves children exposed to abuse from people around them. We encourage parents not to leave their children without supervision of people they can trust,” said Sentoo.
She said children were most often raped by people they knew. However, children under the age of 10 often struggle to identify the perpetrator.
“When we do identify perpetrators, family members often try to protect the guilty person, some even trying to withdraw cases. Drug and alcohol addiction and financial dependency play a huge role in this problem,” said Sentoo.
She said they recently dealt with two cases in which biological mothers had offered their children, aged between eight and ten, to men for sex in exchange for money – fortunately these men did not abuse the children but instead reported the mothers.
She said some parents were guilty of using their children as prostitutes or to beg for food, most often to feed their drug addictions.
“We also see sexual abuse among children, where teenagers will sexually abuse younger children,” said Sentoo.
Josha Daniel of Rise Up Movement said KwaDukuza was ranked 12th for sexual assault and 13th for rape on the list of South Africa’s worst affected areas.
https://www.citizen.co.za/north-coast-courier/197768/kwadukuza-precinct-records-alarming-crime-spike/
“This is a sad reality. With more than 50% of South Africa’s population made up of women, the safety of our women and children are not considered a priority. Government actions are focused on imbizos, engagements and policy writing, when what is needed is the implementation of law and policies. It is time for action,” said Daniel.
He said some of the most pressing issues include the backlog of DNA testing, prolonged investigations, a lack of places of safety, court backlogs and ludicrously low bail granted to perpetuators.
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