The justice system has failed us, say survivors of abuse

Many victims look back and tell how the justice system failed them at the start of this year’s 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children.

This week, Police Minister Bheki Cele released crime statistics which indicated a rise in sexual offences, rape and assault, including domestic violence.

The chief executive of the Sinoville Crisis Centre, Colleen Strauss, said too many women were left to raise children alone while some fathers avoid financial responsibility and having any positive influence on their child.

“Yes, there is a small minority who are being alienated by the mother but the majority chooses to have no part,” she said.

Strauss said the centre no longer ran campaigns to stop GBV because in the same week as the campaign ran, cases of women and children being murdered and abused were reported.

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“What other choice does the mother have than to raise the child alone. Men need to step up,” she said.

She said police had a serious lack of training in dealing with victims of GBV.

“We should be appalled by this. How are we allowing this? [The] 16 days means nothing if we do not practise this 365 days a year,” she said.

Strauss said people needed to get involved by supporting organisations assisting victims. She said this year, the centre will focus on victim support.

“Victims feel they don’t belong and we want to help with that. We want to support the victim until they decided enough is enough.”

She said the question should rather be why are many men not standing up and being husbands and fathers for their children.

Rape survivor Olivia Jasriel said it was like justice wasn’t even served after her rapist, tennis coach Bob Hewitt, was released on parole last year.

She said the Woman and Men Against Child Abuse’s Athletes Against Child Abuse initiative, was going to challenge the government to change the legislation and fix it.

“In Section 54 of the Sexual Offences Act and 110 of the Children’s Act there is a glaring gap where in terms of reporting on sexual crimes, coaches and coach administrators were not included as people who should report,” Jasriel said.

“I’ve got 70 historical abuse cases that date back to 2003 and were covered up by the federations.”

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Jasriel said she has been suffering from severe depression and sleeplessness since Hewitt’s release.

“I’m really struggling because I know he is coming after me on every single level,” Jasriel.

“He should not have got parole because he had no remorse.”

Jasriel claimed Hewitt was filing an interdict against her for allegedly calling him a paedophile. Izelle Venter has been waiting for three years to get her day in court to face the man who assaulted her in 2019.

She opened a case of attempted murder after the assault by a police officer left her in ICU for five days.

The case was postponed to 2 December. Venter said it felt like her abuser had more rights to a fair case than she had the to right to justice.

“Justice delayed is justice denied. Once a month for the past three years and nothing, it’s ridiculous,” she said, adding that was the reason why women didn’t report cases or withdrew them.

“I live in fear every day,” Venter said.