Johannesburg - Experts in the field of child protection and child rights say despite the country marking Child Protection Week, too many children are still abused and/or killed and the crime statistics should not be celebrated as they paint an unrealistic picture.
They also lament the stats announced by the government which show a 20% decrease in child murders, adding that the stats do not show the unreported or concealed child deaths. Child Protection Week is an opportunity to identify barriers and remedies to improve the safety and protection of children, but the experts add that far too many children experience child rights violations daily.
Head of advocacy at Women and Men Against Child Abuse, Luke Lamprecht said the crime stats often did not include concealed deaths because the government is uncomfortable talking about unreported or missed cases.
“How often have we not heard about abandoned newborns found in open fields? In some cases those babies died but their deaths do not form part of the crime stats. Babies are often abandoned near medical sites as young mothers do not report their pregnancies or they go for illegal terminations. They also do not report the people who perform these illegal terminations. They also don’t report the person who impregnated them,” he said.
Lamprecht said, at 28 weeks, a foetus becomes a legal entity but it only becomes a living entity when the baby takes its first breath, independent of the mother.
He added that concealed deaths and birth were largely unreported.
“Sixteen is the legal age of consent in SA. Consentual sex between young people aged between 12 and 16 is not considered as rape. It’s only rape when one of the parties is older than 16 and the other, younger. We are only celebrating Child Protection Week to show that we are doing something, but nothing actually gets done,” he said.
Lamprecht added that a child’s prognosis for safety was mostly determined at conception.
“The tragedy is that there are children whose births are not celebrated and their deaths are certainly not mourned,” he concluded.
Bhambayi Project founder and CEO Mandy Pearson said a child was sexually abused every 20 minutes in South Africa.
“The sad reality is more like every two minutes, as children stay silent out of fear and shame. Both girls and boys form part of the horrifying statistics, with victims as young as 3 years old and younger reported. Child rape is South Africa’s hidden pandemic that urgently needs to be addressed,” she said.
The Bhambayi Project is focused on transforming the lives of orphans and vulnerable children in Bhambayi, Inanda, through relationships and empowerment, and aims to enable them to be courageous agents of change.
“In journeying with the more than 230 children we support, we have come into contact with an alarming number of child rape cases. We have discovered that it is virtually impossible to get rapists arrested. Even if they are arrested, in our experience they are often released on bail within one month of arrest. There are rapists who are sport coaches, drivers of school transport and many others out on bail, continuing to interact with children. If they rape again, the chances of re-arrest are slim. The justice system, the police department, child welfare and other structures are failing our children. Our interaction with the system paints a sobering picture that rapists are more protected than our children,” added Pearson.
She said child rape is a Schedule 6 offence, but in reality it is often not treated as such.
“In consultation with leaders in both the police and the justice system, we have arrived at seven basic demands to help protect our children and to ensure the voice of the child is heard,” she added.
Pearson’s sentiments are echoed by Molo Songololo director Patric Solomons, who said the neglect of duty and accountability by those who were supposed to care for and protect children were major threats for children.
Solomon lamented the deaths of five children in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town this week when a bakkie transporting learners overturned en route to school.
“A tragic event that could have been avoided. The ongoing unruly conduct of motorists and overcrowding of vehicles result in children's deaths. Parents, educators and service providers must do much more to monitor the public transportation of children and learners and we expect our law enforcement to act decisively and remove reckless drivers and faulty vehicles that are a danger to our children,” he said.
Solomon said while child protection was an obligation for the government and civil society, far too many parents, caregivers and service providers neglect their duties and bring harm to children…
Director at the Teddy Bear Clinic in Parktown, Shaheda Omar said load shedding was also negatively impacting learners who were missing out on learning, particularly in rural areas where resources were limited.
“The impact on the mental health of children is surrounded by anxiety and concerns of not having food, learning material etc. Child pregnancies increased. We have had such a demand for support groups for pregnant learners and we are currently running six groups. The one glaring omission is asking children for instituting measures that will make them feel safe. Voices of the voiceless coming up with solutions. A child-centred approach is much needed. What would they like to see for child protection?” she said.
The South Africa Police Service (SAPS) did not reply to a media query about concealed births and deaths.