Fake rape cases worry police
ALEXANDRA - Police said they are inundated with fake rape cases from teenagers who abscond from home and on their return claim they were raped.
Fake rape cases have become a problem for the Alexandra police.
Constable Eric Babile from the Alex’s Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) said their biggest challenge was dealing with fake rape cases.
“Children aged between 16 and 21 often disappear from home over the weekend. When they come back, because they don’t want to get into trouble, they say they were kidnapped and raped. This is one of the challenges that we’re facing because a lot of these cases get reported and we later find out that they were fake,” he said during discussions at a Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) workshop in Alex.
The event, which marked the beginning of 16 days of activism against gender violence, was held in partnership with Kidz Clinic Alexandra. Prosecutors and members of Alexandra FCS were also present.
It was hosted by Yushene Rajkua, a Vodacom Change the World volunteer who works as a court case manager. He said if the fake cases stopped, there would be a decrease in rape statistics. “They contribute a great deal to statistics,” he said.
Children’s safety was highlighted and a proposal made that awareness campaigns and educating the community about abuse should be a priority.
WMACA is committed to fighting for the rights of the child and to end the abuse of children in South Africa. The organisation’s Vincentia Dlamini Ngobese said they have a lot of neglect cases involving children.
“Mothers need to be educated on how to take better care of their children, as most of these cases could be prevented,” she said.
Rajkua said the purpose of the event was to strengthen the relationship between WMACA and stakeholders, and to thank them for all their hard work and commitment
