The victims need to speak in one voice to eradicate the number of sexual crimes against other unsuspecting women and children.
A number of rapes have been committed in the past week and with an addition each week, that is a call for distress. In the last three months alone there have been a number of 21 rapes reported to the SAPS. There could be more, which are not reported but the aim is to eradicate rape all together.
On February 26, a 7-year-old girl was helped to report her father as he was sexually abusing her. The girl was accompanied by an educator to the Police Station in Vosman from sector two. It was during school hours at break time, when an educator noticed that the child was not playing with other children and she had a weird strut in her walk. The educator allegedly called the girl to her classroom and then took her to Siphosensimbi Clinic.
Upon their arrival at the clinic the child was examined by a nurse who confirmed that she had been penetrated. The child confirmed that her father was the culprit in this crime. He was later arrested and the child is in social worker care. It is alleged that the father of the child could have been raping her for some time before the girl was seen by her teacher at school.
In another incident a youth who thought she could trust her friends learned the hard way that you can not truly know the nature of another person by simply knowing who they are, or thinking that you know who they are. The construction of ones thoughts cannot be seen from facial expressions. That was the hard lesson learned by a 17-year-old from Klarinet. Her friends allegedly left her in the company of a friend who would soon be her rapist.
The victim alleged that they were visiting a guy whom is known to her two friends, known as Noxi and Charlotte, when they said they were leaving for the shops and would return shortly. After a long while later she told the suspect that she needed to go and catch up with her friends as they seemed not to be coming back. The suspect then allegedly refused for the girl to leave and he told her that her friends were paid to leave them together as he had wanted to sleep with her. The suspect then allegedly became physical towards the victim and he managed to pull off her clothes and rape her.
Rape is a serious crime and victims need to be able to come forward and report rape cases. The victim should immediately go to the nearest clinic and/or police station after the incident as early report of the crime could aid the police to be able to catch the suspect. There is a specific procedure that must be followed by rape victims in order to ensure that they recover from the experience. Not only is it important for that, but early collection of evidence can help the suspect be put behind bars for a very long time. If there is a person you know is or you suspect is being abused sexually then there are channels you could follow to help them report the crime.
In order to avoid rape women must try to stay clear of isolated areas, especially when alone, they should always be aware of their surroundings as well as the people in their environment. Travelling in numbers is also safer than travelling alone; women must not invite strangers to their homes or accept invites from strangers. When out in a public area they must be cautious of their drinks, anything can be slipped into it which could make you even more vulnerable. If at any time you suspect you are being followed or are at risk of being raped, the best option is to call someone and alert them and try to get to the nearest police station. There are other safety precautions on how to avoid being raped and they can be viewed on www.rapecrisis.org
To report a sexual crime anonymously or to help someone who need s it, here are useful toll-free contact numbers which operate on a 24-hour basis; Crime Stop 08600 10111, Child-line: 0800 055 555, National Women’s Abuse Helpline: 0800 150 150, AIDS Line 0800 012 322/ 011 725 6710 or another option is to call the SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit on 012 393 2363.
