Horror child abuse stories mar 16 Days of Activism
The need for more than 16 days a year to protest the abuse of women and children has never been more apparent.
Tortured, raped and beaten to death.
This was the reality for a two-year-old baby girl, Jamie Faith Naidoo, who was found dead in her grandmothers’ Havenside home, in Chatsworth, Durban, earlier this month.
In a shocking twist, Baby Jamie’s grandmother and mother have since been arrested and charged with the death of the toddler and other related charges.
As the case unfolds, more and more horrifying details have emerged surrounding the shocking abuse Baby Jamie suffered at the hands of her ‘loved ones’.
Baby Jamie suffered the following injuries:
– She had a swollen head.
– Her ears were torn and bleeding.
– She had cigarette burns all over her face and body.
– Two of her teeth were missing.
– Her tongue was cut.
– Her left hand was broken and swollen.
– Her left leg was swollen and her knee had been dislocated.
– The flesh and skin from her neck was ‘ripped off’.
– Her fingernails and toenails were yanked with something (probably pliers) and the nails were hanging out of the skin.
– Her nose was fractured and bleeding.
– There was swelling on her body and she had cuts on the inside of her mouth and tongue, and on the soles of her feet.
– Post Mortem also revealed that she had been raped.
The case is one of the most shocking stories of child abuse of our time, and has left many in tears, disgusted and horrified.
On Monday, video footage of a Ugandan nanny beating a small girl mercilessly went viral. This little girl was fortunate; she is recovering well.
The nanny was arrested and will appear in a Ugandan court later this month.
Why the extensive media campaigns to cover stories like this?
It is simply to inform the residents of South Africa about the horrors that happen every day, right next door to us.
The stories and footage shock the senses, make you question humanity and drive home a point: our women and children need to be protected.
The global and national 16 Days of Activism campaign is aimed directly at informing people and stopping the abuse.
But it isn’t enough.
On average this year, rapists have been given longer sentences than murderers, in an attempt to deter criminals from this heinous crime.
Shamefully, we are the rape capital of the world, with over 500 000 cases reported every year.
Although the 16 Days of Activism campaign might not be enough, it is certainly a start.
In a perfect world, crime doesn’t exist, abuse is unheard of and rape never crosses the mind of any man.
But this is not a perfect world, and it is up to each and every one of us, to join the fight against crime and abuse.
Where will you be, and what will you do for 16 Days of Activism?
