As the country commemorated child protection week earlier this month, an 11-year-old came forward after an alleged rape dating back to 2015, when she was just 9 years old.
This is just another example of the rights of children continually being disregarded in a shocking number of abuse cases.
WO Ishmael Mohutsiwa, the police spokesperson, confirmed that the Ikageng police are investigating a case of rape after the pre-teen alleged that her uncle had raped her two years ago.
‘The victim was nine years old at the time. She kept quiet until she had gathered the courage to speak because it is alleged that the suspect threatened to stab her. The incident is believed to have taken place while her mother was away,’ Mohutsiwa said.
In an article by the Sunday Times reporter, Suthentira Govender, at the 9th annual Child Trauma Conference in Durban on 10 June, she quoted the Constitutional Court judge Edwin Cameron as saying, ‘We have wonderful rights, policies and laws but, in implementation, we are grossly lacking. We have to confess to ourselves that we have not made much headway when it comes to child protection. Children continue to be exposed to trauma and abuse in schools and their own homes.’
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