Rape victims get younger

2003-12-23 07:53

Philda Essop

Cape Town - Rapists are choosing their victims younger and younger.

This was revealed by a shocking report which showed that 1 231 children under the age of five were raped in South Africa over a 13 month period.

Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula, in answer to a question posed by NNP MP Dirk Bakker, said that these were cases reported to police between February 2002 and January 2003.

Joan van Niekerk, national director of Childline, who was shocked at the statistics, said that official figures on rape - for all age groups - were just the tip of the iceberg.

In answer to another question, Nqakula confirmed that an average of 4 500 DNA specimens relating to rape incidents were tested in the forensic laboratories in Pretoria and Cape Town every month.

The Pretoria laboratory, which deals with the bulk of testing, receives about 3 250 specimens a month. Of these, a third relates to suspected child rapes, said Nqakula.

Van Niekerk on Monday expressed concern at the fact that those guilty of child rape are getting younger, and because of that, their victims were also getting younger.

She said that in Pietermaritzburg alone, 63% of all children referred to Childline were below the age of seven.

In her opinion, the myth that sex with a virgin cured HIV/Aids was largely to blame for this. Other contributing factors included pornography access at too young an age and crowded home environments, she said.

But despite efforts to curb child rape it rages on. In the latest incident, a six-year-old from Nyanga was allegedly raped by her 25-year-old neighbour on Sunday.

In October 2001 the rape of nine-month-old Baby Tshepang from Upington sent shock waves through the country. Exactly two years later another nine-month-old baby, known only as Baby M from Kuilsriver, was also raped.

Basic life skills and responsible sexual behaviour training given to children could help curb child rapes, said Van Niekerk, adding that steeper sentences for rapists could also deter such attacks.

- Die Burger