Letter of the week: ‘House of horrors’ raises questions

I HAVE been involved in childcare for more years than I can remember but the news about children being abused is always one of those issues that touches my heart and make my blood to boil.

I am following the current ‘House of horrors’ case in Springs and I am absolutely appalled by the adults who knew about the abuse that took place, but were too scared of the father to say anything.

They, as adults, were scared of the father: can they think how those children must have felt to live every day in the presence of the man?

We all have a moral responsibility to protect ALL children and I hope that the justice system will not fail these children.

Those adults that knew what was happening are accomplices to this hideous crime because they kept quiet.

It is not a fact in SA law that not to report a crime is a crime in itself?

What message do they send to those children? ‘Sorry, but I am scared of your dad and your pain is not my problem’!

How did they go to bed at night and sleep if they knew what was happening to those children?

How will those children trust an adult again?

If adults are too scared to be the voices of reason for defenceless children then we live in a sick society that has no compassion for what was done to the souls of those youngsters.

It is easy for the physical wounds to heal, but what about the psychological wounds – that cannot be healed with a band-aid strip?

It will take years for children to come to terms with the fact that the very person who is supposed to protect them is the perpetrator.

God made dads to protect and keep their children safe, not to punish them inhumanly.

There were many things those silent adults could have done.

They could have made an anonymous call to Child Line or to the Crime Stop line.

Section 27 of the Constitution says that the interest of the child is paramount. We need to start living it!

ZULULAND SOCIAL WORKER