NPO Women and Men Against Child Abuse’s Victim Empowerment Unit based at the Alexandra Police Station is concerned about bullies and gangs of schoolchildren who terrorise others at school and in the community.
This, after concern was expressed by community leaders and the police about unrelenting crime, partly attributed to school gangs said to be exposed to hardened criminals (Crime Indaba, Week ending 24 February).
The unit, which provides psycho-social support including counselling and court accompaniment of victims of domestic violence, sexual and other abuse, said they were helping an increasing number of schoolchildren abused at school and in the community by their peers, some known to be gang members. The unit’s social workers, Pearl Nyamande and Tsholofelo Mosito said the children were brought by parents worried about their children’s fear of going to school or to move freely in the community.
Nyamande said the perpetrators forcibly took and refused to return victims’ possessions such as shoes and school-issued electronic tablets, assaulted them sometimes inflicting serious injuries and threatened them with further gang punishment if the victims reported the incidents to their school and other authorities.
Read: Corruption Gang assaults pupil
“In one instance, a gang from a school tore off a girl’s school uniform, took pictures and circulated the pictures of her half-naked body, while mocking her until she was rescued by some residents.
“In another instance, a gang of pupils said to be on suspension for alleged misconduct, is terrorising and discouraging others from going to school causing them to miss out on classes, threatening teachers and, selling [electronic] tablets taken forcibly from other pupils,” Mosito said.
Nyamande added that a boy was attending therapy after being abused by a gang who followed him and pelted his home with stones. His mother reported it to the police and sought help from the unit. Nyamande added that other children came in with signs of physical abuse by the gangs who allegedly used sjamboks and golf clubs to inflict punishment, In one instance, a victim was almost electrocuted when a gang pushed him onto a fallen, live electric line.
The unit’s concerns also extended to the raping of 15 to 17-year-old girls which occurred at parties, and sexual experimentation by children under the age of 10 years who were exposed to pornography on cellphones and videos bought on the streets.
“They [sexually] experiment on each other, sometimes with objects, mostly at homes where parents are often absent or unconcerned about their children’s safety,” Nyamande said.
Details: Women and Men Against Child Abuse 011 321 7614.
Express your view on school gangs and crime on WhatsApp Alex News on 079 439 5345.
