Various Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Units around KZN secured positive convictions for crimes against women and children during the month of December 2017.
Teams of investigators throughout the province, managed to secure 32 convictions, while other cases still remain under investigation.
A total of 353 suspects were arrested for sexual and gender based violence related cases.
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Of the 32 convictions, eight of the accused were sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, and others were sentenced to a total of 277 years imprisonment for other related criminal charges.
These accused were successfully convicted for various crimes such as rape, murder, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, child photography, child abandonment and robbery.
The KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa welcomed the sentences handed down to these criminals.
“I further commend the members for securing such convictions as this shows our commitment in the fight against abuse directed against women and children. We will continue with our operations to make sure that those involved in such crimes are brought to book and face the might of the law,” he said.
Gender based violence can affect anyone in any community, regardless of age, economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, or nationality.
This includes physical, verbal, emotional, economic, religious, and sexual abuse.
Newcastle SAPS confirmed an average of three cases of domestic violence were opened every month, besides the number of protection orders served monthly. These disputes often often end in a fatality.
“Although this matter concerns both men and women, it is more likely for a woman to be the victim as they tend to experience more severe forms of violence,” said the Newcastle SAPS Corporate Communications Department.
Abuse is often not reported, because the victim is too scared, or is too easily placated by niceties like gifts, flowers or dining and wining.
Below is a list of behavioural signs indicative of someone who is victim to such crimes:
– The victim expresses fear or anxiety
– Receive frequent, harassing phone calls
– They might have frequent injuries, with the excuse of “accidents”
– They frequently miss work, school, or social occasions, without explanation
– They tend to dress in clothing designed to hide bruises or scars (e.g. wearing long sleeves in the summer or sunglasses indoors)
– They have a very low self-esteem, even if they used to be confident
– They show major personality changes (e.g. an outgoing person becomes withdrawn)
– They are constantly depressed, anxious, or suicidal
– They are restricted from seeing family and friends
– They rarely go out in public without their partner
– They have limited access to money, credit cards, or the car.
Victims of abuse should apply for a protection order against the abuser. By getting such an order, your partner may not enter the family home or your workplace.
“If the abuser contravenes the protection order, they will be arrested and charged for not complying with a court order,” said Ms Arumugam..
Victims are also reminded that there were many facilities to assist women, such as health workers at their clinic, counsellors from their local welfare offices or the national toll-free Stop Women Abuse hotline: 0800 150 150.
“You can also contact your local police station, or SAPS emergency number 10111 and SAPS Crime Stop 08600 10111.”
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