Child abuse weighs down E Cape

2004-07-13 10:21

Anesca Smith

Port Elizabeth - The number of abused and neglected children in the Eastern Cape is so high that it can take overworked and underpaid social workers up to three years to conclude a case.

But child abuse has come under the spotlight again after an Aberdeen mother this weekend threw her month-old baby to the ground with such force that he died while on the way to hospital.

The 25-year-old mother was allegedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

She appeared in Graaff-Reinet magistrate's court on Monday. The case was postponed.

On Monday, welfare organisations said alcohol and poverty were the main reasons behind the high incidence of child abuse.

Between April last year and March this year, 634 cases of sexual abuse were reported to Port Elizabeth Child Line and Family Centre.

Of this, 55% were victims between seven and 13, 23% were between three and six and 19% between 14 and 18 years old. The remainder were under two years old.

Abuse and orphans get priority

There were about 251 cases of serious neglect with most of the victims (34%) aged from birth up to two years. A total of 60% of abused children were between three and 13.

Woine Bischoff, manager of the South African Child Welfare in Grahamstown, said alcohol abuse and poverty were the main causes of abuse.

"We work day and night and sometimes social workers have up to 200 cases. We prioritise the most-critical cases, such as child abuse and orphans."

According to her, some of the cases being dealt with now were reported in 2001.

In addition to this, child welfare is one of hundreds of organisations in the province that have been waiting for more than three months for their subsidies from the department of social development.

- Die Burger