Human trafficking and rape cases have been in the news for a while now, causing many parents to take the extra precaution of the safety of their children.
No matter how many precautions parents take sometimes reports come out of sexual abuse, and the majority of the time it’s by the person that they entrusted their child or children with.
Residents at the flats in Newclare were in rage a week ago, after a man was taken into custody by the Sophiatown Police Station after complainant allegedly said that she was bathing the minor when the child told her that her private parts were sore.
According to communications officer, Jerbes de Bruyn, a case of sexual assault was opened and the case is being investigated.
What is considered sexual abuse of a child?
According to Dr Stella Potgieter, who focuses on sexually deviant behaviour to protect children against sexual abuse, “Sexual abuse does not have to involve penetration, force, pain, or even touching. If an adult engages in any sexual behaviour (looking, showing, or touching) with a child to meet the adult’s interest or needs, it is sexual abuse.”
Potgieter wrote a book called ‘children must be protected!’ and in the book, she said that it is important that parents and children are aware of the Criminal Law Amendment Act (Sexual offenses and related matters) The Legislation contains the following: the age at which person may consent to sexual intercourse is sixteen, this age is valid for heterosexual and homosexual acts.
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But how does this abuse affect the child emotionally? Potgieter answered that question in the book by stating, “When a child has sexual intercourse at an early age, it can have an influence on his or her life because he or she is not sufficiently emotionally mature for it.
“Emotional consequences such as depression, a weak self-esteem, guilt feeling, shame, anxiety, and anger can occur. The person can only later in his or her life realize that early sexual experiences did have an impact on his or her life.
“Feelings that he or she made a mistake can result in behavioural consequences such as self-mutilation, suicide, eating disorders or substance abuse.”
